Gregory Rodrigues | Discipline Over Everything

When you’re an all-action type of fighter like Rodrigues, patience can in fact come through in a fight that ends within the first five minutes. Instead of swinging for the fences, Rodrigues waited for his big opportunity and made the most of it against Hermansson. Now, his sights are set on fellow knockout artist Roman Kopylov at VeChain UFC 322 in a fight which promises fireworks. 

Although Kopylov isn’t in the middleweight rankings, this feels like a fight where the winner could almost certainly find themselves with a shot at the Top 15 early in 2026. For Rodrigues, who is 8-3 since joining the roster in June 2021, it feels like he has taken the necessary lumps required of a fighter to make the leap.

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“You need to take a lesson,” he said. “It doesn’t matter about the result. For sure, when you lose, you look at it different, but in that fight, I learned a lot about needing patience not just inside the Octagon but for my life. Training, loving the process, and see, and not go inside the Octagon just waiting for the better result. Sometimes the better result is just the win, so that’s what I learned, and I’m able to do that.”

While the opportunity to fight in Madison Square Garden excites Rodrigues, he’s also trying to operate without the need for motivation. Rodrigues recalls a conversation he had with his pastor, who referenced a tennis player delineating the difference between motivation and discipline.