Levi Rodriguez Jr. will make his Octagon debut in opposition to fellow Brazilian mild heavyweight Felipe Franco at UFC Oklahoma Metropolis and believes will probably be the beginning of a historic profession.
“Child Monster” is undefeated as knowledgeable MMA fighter, with 5 finishes and one no contest in his three-round combat with Franco at Paycom Heart, and has fought at each mild heavyweight and heavyweight throughout his MMA profession, in addition to middleweight bouts in Muay Thai and kickboxing. Alex Pereira narrowly missed out on successful his third belt in June when he misplaced to Cyril Gane, however Rodriguez Jr. says he’ll win it sometime.
“‘Poitan’ was the one fighter to problem for it, however he hasn’t been in a position to win a 3rd title but,” Rodriguez Jr. instructed MMA Preventing. “Ever since I used to be 12 years previous, my dream has been to compete within the UFC. At present, I’ve the chance to compete within the UFC. In my first interview, I stated within the identify of the Lord Jesus that if God gave me an opportunity, I’d win the 205, 185 and heavyweight titles.”
Rodriguez Jr. defeats Freddy Vidal by 1st spherical KO to enter UFC Dana White’s Contender Sequencethe bout was later overturned to a no-contest attributable to a failed drug take a look at for nandrolone metabolites. ‘Child Monster’ stated he acquired the injection after being left almost paralyzed and in mattress for six months attributable to an damage sustained in a jiu-jitsu match. The banned substance, which he claimed he was unaware of, remained in his system throughout the DWCS match.
Regardless of his suspension, Rodriguez Jr. signed a contract with the UFC, fulfilling a lifelong dream of getting into the UFC Octagon for the primary time.
“It has been a dream of mine since I used to be a child,” Rodriguez Jr. stated. “You may make certain that all my fights are going to be a battle. Irrespective of who the opponent is, regardless of who will get knocked out, regardless of who provides in, I am there to placed on an awesome present and entertain the followers. The individuals who come to see it should see a present they usually do not should have ugly matches. I wish to entertain the followers and provides them an awesome present.”
Franco, a UFC Oklahoma Metropolis opponent, returned to the 205-pound division after struggling a call loss to heavyweight contender Mario Pinto in his promotional debut in March of this yr. The 25-year-old is a teammate of Jaylton Almeida and Rodriguez Jr. expects to tackle such a battle on Saturday.
“I do not assume he’ll arise and commerce me,” Rodriguez Jr. stated. “He’ll attempt to beat me. He’ll attempt to floor me in that ‘Marjazinho’ type, however we’re all prepared. … I by no means underestimate my opponent. I am not the type of man who talks dangerous about different fighters. I consider everybody within the UFC is proficient and attempting to construct a profession and enhance the lives of their households. I believe he is a really proficient fighter, and a greater fighter may win.”
