Rodriguez wants title shot against winner of Namajunas vs. Esparza
Strawweight Marina Rodriguez believes she is next in line for a title shot.
UFC strawweight contender Marina Rodriguez wants her title shot, but knows it could still be a bit far away.
After defeating Yan Xiaonan at UFC 272, the Brazilian believes she has done enough to guarantee her chance. However, Rodriguez knows that former champion Carla Esparza is ahead of her in line.
Nonetheless, Marina tells Combate she wants a crack against the winner of Esparza and champion Rose Namajunas, even though that fight has not yet been confirmed by the UFC.
“I asked for it,” Rodriguez said. “I know I still need to improve a little, be a little more convincing in my performances. This fight was a little hard in the beginning, when I was having a hard time finding my range. But that was the time to ask for it and I did. I know it’ll be long, there’s this fight scheduled between Namajunas and Esparza, but I want to fight the winner of that. There’s time for that to happen.”
The win over Xiaonan put Rodriguez (16-1-2) on a four-fight winning streak, with victories over Mackenzie Dern, Michelle Waterson and Amanda Ribas, before her most recent one. The 34-year-old’s last loss happened in July 2020, when she dropped a split decision to the aforementioned Esparza.