UFC on ESPN+ 14's Marina Rodriguez devised 'Plans A, B, and C' for Tecia Torres fight
Marina Rodriguez feels she is prepared for whatever her UFC on ESPN+ 14 opponent Tecia Torres will throw at her Saturday night at Antel Arena in Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay. The card streams on ESPN+.
After she earned a contract on “Dana White’s Contender Series: Brazil,” Rodriguez (11-0-1 MMA, 1-0-1 UFC) made her UFC debut against longtime veteran Randa Markos at UFC Fight Night 137 in September 2018. Rodriguez had never faced an opponent with the experience of Markos, yet she fared well in the fight. After three hard-fought rounds, the bout ended in a draw.
In her next outing, Rodriguez faced another veteran in Jessica Aguilar. Her sophomore bout resulted in the outcome she was searching for. Rodriguez dominated the bout, earning a 10-8 second round from all three judges en route to a unanimous-decision win.
“The draw against Markos was stuck in my throat for some time,” Rodriguez told MMA Junkie in her native Portuguese. “I needed a win to be on solid footing in the UFC. It was a tough fight, but I felt I was ahead on all three rounds – despite the armbar Jessica attempted in the first. She has a lot of fight experience.
“When she had the WSOF belt, I probably wasn’t even training yet. It was a great victory. I hoped for a knockout, but I needed to be more measured. We’re evolving with each fight. This is the type of experience that’s only gained during actual fights in the cage.”
Now set to square off against another experienced foe in American Top Team’s Torres (10-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC), Rodriguez said she feels comfortable no matter where the fight goes. The 32-year-old strawweight knows Torres could present a number of different looks, but she said she is ready for any of them.
“Tecia Torres is a great, ranked fighter,” Rodriguez said. “I believe that it will be a very hard fight, a war. The person who trains hardest and wants it more will be the winner. We have plans A, B, and C for this fight. It all depends on what she brings. It’s a great opportunity.
“The UFC is putting its faith in me. I want to respond in kind by beating the opponents they bring me. I visualize a knockout win. It’s always my objective. If not a knockout, then I’ll take a back-and-forth war.”
While Rodriguez indicated confidence in her abilities, she didn’t want to overlook Torres by thinking about what potential fights are on the horizon. She is sticking to the task at hand: UFC Uruguay.
“First, I’d like to an excellent fight at UFC Uruguay,” Rodriguez said. “I’d like to show my full potential. After another win, maybe I’ll start thinking about who’s next. I have faith in what the UFC can offer me.”
Boasting an unblemished professional record through 12 outings, Rodriguez will look to pick up her second UFC victory on Saturday. The Brazilian fighter currently has five finishes on her record but is yet to score one in the UFC.
It very well could “do or die” for Torres, who has lost three straight bouts heading into the clash with Rodriguez – though the No. 8-ranked fighter has faced stiff competition. After winning three consecutive bouts in 2017, Torres dropped sequential unanimous decisions to Jessica Andrade, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and Weili Zhang.