Gregory Rodrigues

Gregory Felipe Santos Rodrigues (born February 17, 1992) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is an eight-time National BJJ Champion. He was the Smash Global MMA Middleweight Champion and former Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) Middleweight Champion.

Background
Born in Porto Velho, Gregory came to Manaus when he was still four months old. He was introduced to martial arts since he was five years old, starting out with capoeira, before migrating to jiu-jitsu at 8 years old and eventually becoming a black belt under Senseí Henrique Machado, who was also Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza’s jiu-jitsu coach. He became an eight-time national jiu-jitsu champion, jiu-jitsu world champion, and professional world champion in Abu Dhabi. He also trained in Olympic wrestling with professor Waldeci, joining the Brazilian wrestling cadet team and becoming the runner-up at Pan American wrestling championships in Nicaragua. In 2014, he moved to Rio de Janeiro to start his professional MMA career.

Early career
Starting his professional career in 2014, Rodrigues went 7–2 fighting mostly on the Brazilian regional scene, picking up wins in promotions such as ACB, where he picked up a first-round TKO victory at ACB 73 and winning the Smash Global Middleweight title also picking up a unanimous decision win at LFA 71.

He was invited to compete against Jordan Williams at Dana White's Contender Series 33 on September 15, 2020. He lost the fight via first-round knockout.

He would make his return to LFA, entering the four-man tournament for the LFA Middleweight Championship. In the first round, Rodrigues faced Al Matavao at LFA 102, where he knocked Matavao out in the second round. In the finals at LFA 108, Rodrigues stopped Josh Fremd within a round to claim the vacant LFA Middleweight Championship. Within days off the victory, Rodrigues was asked to compete in the UFC on short notice.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
Rodrigues, as a replacement for Maki Pitolo, faced Duško Todorović on June 5, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai. He won the bout via unanimous decision.

Rodrigues faced Jun Yong Park on October 23, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori. He won the fight via knockout in round two. This fight earned him Fight of the Night award.

Rodrigues faced Armen Petrosyan on February 26, 2022, at UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Green. He lost the fight via controversial split decision. 10 out of 14 media outlets scored the fight for Rodrigues.

Rodrigues faced Julian Marquez, replacing Wellington Turman, on June 18, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 37. He won the bout in the first round via knockout. This win earned him his first Performance of the Night award.

Rodrigues faced Chidi Njokuani on September 17, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 210. He won the fight via technical knockout in round two. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.

Rodrigues was scheduled to face Brad Tavares on January 21, 2023, at UFC 283. However, Tavares withdrawn from the bout due to an injury, and he was replaced by promotional newcomer Brunno Ferreira. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.

Rodrigues faced Denis Tiuliulin on August 19, 2023, at UFC 292. The bout was originally set for June 24, 2023, at UFC on ABC 5, but was postponed after Tiuliulin withdrew due to undisclosed reasons. He won the bout via knockout in round one.

Rodrigues faced Brad Tavares on February 10, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 236. He won the bout by technical knockout in the third round.

As a replacement for Robert Bryczek who withdrew for unknown reasons, Rodrigues is scheduled to face Christian Leroy Duncan on July 27, 2024 at UFC 304.

Championships and accomplishments

 * Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * Fight of the Night (Two times) vs. Jun Yong Park and Chidi Njokuani
 * Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Julian Marquez
 * Legacy Fighting Alliance
 * LFA Middleweight Champion (One time)
 * SMASH Global
 * SMASH Global Middleweight Championship (One time)