Christian “Leeroy” Duncan and Gregory Rodriguez at the UFC 304 weigh-in. Photo by Patrick McCauley/Cageside Press
Popular middleweight Gregory Rodriguez, known as “Robocop” (or “Robobama” due to his resemblance to Barack Obama), faced off against Christian Leroy Duncan at UFC 304.
Both players are capable of explosive finishes and Duncan was looking to continue his good night for the British team after their strong qualifying performance.
In the early stages of the bout, CLD relied on feints and stance switches, but it was Rodriguez who landed an early left hand. The first two minutes were fought on the stand, but “RoboCop” took the fight to the canvas and clearly had the upper hand.
Duncan managed to stave off the Brazilian’s attacks, but soon developed swelling in his side. Rodriguez continued to work steadily and patiently in half guard, but Duncan managed to get to his knees and try to escape, or at least prevent Rodriguez from going for a serious submission attempt.
Rodriguez seemed content to stand and trade blows in the second round, but finally tied it midway through the round and went for a takedown only to be thwarted by Christian “Leroy” Duncan’s grip on the fence. The referee eventually separated the two as they grappled along the fence, and the bout resumed at the center, where Duncan landed an elbow or two but missed, and Rodriguez fought back with his hands, landing a right hand and at one point opening a cut on CLD.
Rodriguez closed out the round with a takedown in the final 30 seconds.
The third round looked like it might well have been the finish, with Duncan going for a takedown, but Rodriguez turned the tide, grabbing a leg and going for a takedown himself, spinning CLD around, eventually forcing Duncan to one knee and sneaking a hook before trying to take the back.
RoboCop didn’t win in the end, but he did win a lopsided decision over another strong contender, Gregory Rodriguez, who beat Brad Tavares to record his third straight win.
Official result: Gregory Rodriguez defeats Christian Leroy Duncan by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
