Prospect in the Spotlight (Feb 2-3): Ernesto Rodriguez

Introduction

Friday, February 2nd, Cuban-American welterweight prospect Ernesto Rodriguez will be in action for Tuff-N-Uff, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Edson Marques. He will be looking for another win, as Rodriguez looks to inch closer to a UFC contract. He represents Xtreme Couture, a top camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”

Strengths

Grinding: When it comes to a style, Rodriguez is definitely a grinder that likes to aggressively get close, make an opponent uncomfortable, wear on them and finish strong down the line. Rodriguez has strong offensive wrestling, which allows him to score takedowns after setting them up with his striking. He also likes to clinch opponents against the cage, where he leans on them and is able to land close strikes, including the patented Xtreme Couture dirty boxing. He is very strong and positionally sound, which is why he can hold these positions and score points.

Needs Improvement

Decision Heavy/Counter-Wrestling: One thing that could work against Rodriguez is that he’s a decision-heavy fighter. Of his seven wins, five have gone to decision, although they are unanimous decisions. His latest fight with Troy Green was especially dominant, scoring 30-25s on a couple cards. However, sometimes his counter-wrestling can be a fault, as seen in his fight with Richie Lewis. He did a nice job when clinching Lewis, but when Lewis was able to shoot for takedowns and eventually get Rodriguez down, Rodriguez struggled.

Outlook

Regional Champion/Top Promotion Prelim Fighter: Rodriguez’s lone blemish was to the aforementioned Richie Lewis, who is a top prospect in his own right given his wrestling background and success in MMA thus far. Outside of that, Rodriguez has looked strong. Rodriguez is a good, rounded fighter, though to catch the eye of Dana White he’s going to have to be more of a finisher. He has a great camp behind him in Xtreme Couture, which explains why he’s so rounded. Perhaps we’ll see him in one of the big shows in the near future.