Daniel Rodriguez

Overview

Six of Daniel Rodriguez's ten UFC wins came by decision, and he is also one of the harder welterweights to take down. That tells you most of what you need to know about "D-Rod": a southpaw who lands a lot, defends well, and wins on volume far more often than on power.

He is 10-5 in the UFC and 20-6-0 across all promotions, out of Classic Fight Team in Costa Mesa. He is not a champion, and his UFC run has been steady rather than spectacular.

His four UFC finishes do not make him a pure decision fighter either. Three came by KO/TKO and one by submission, and two of them ended in the first round.

UFC Career

Rodriguez beat Rico Farrington by unanimous decision on Dana White's Contender Series in 2019. That fight is not part of his UFC record. His UFC debut came in February 2020, when he submitted Tim Means in the second round. He followed it with a unanimous decision over Gabe Green and a first-round TKO of Dwight Grant, starting 3-0.

Nicolas Dalby handed him his first UFC loss by unanimous decision in November 2020. He answered with a four-fight win streak, his longest in the UFC. It included a decision over Mike Perry, a first-round TKO of Preston Parsons, and decisions over Kevin Lee and Li Jingliang. Our model rated both Lee and Li as strong opponents, and the Li win was a split decision.

The streak ended against Neil Magny, who submitted him in the third round of the November 2022 main event. Another strong opponent, Ian Machado Garry, stopped him in the first round in May 2023. Kelvin Gastelum then took a unanimous decision in June 2024, so Rodriguez went 0-3 over that stretch.

He rebuilt with a split decision over Alex Morono, a third-round TKO of Santiago Ponzinibbio, and a unanimous decision over Kevin Holland at UFC 318. Holland was another strong opponent. His most recent fight was a main event against Uros Medic, who stopped him 30 seconds into the first round. He carries a one-fight losing streak into his next bout.

Ten wins, no wins over elite opponents, and a record that holds up against the strong tier but not above it.

Fighting Style

Daniel Rodriguez is a busy striker who is hard to hit. He throws and lands at a high rate, and he defends strikes better than most. He still absorbs more than most, so his fights tend to be exchanges.

He rarely shoots for takedowns and rarely hunts submissions, both well below the UFC average. He is also very hard to take down, which keeps most of his fights standing.

His finishes come early or late. Two of his four stoppage wins came in round one, one in round two and one in round three. The other six wins went the distance. Of his five losses, two came by KO/TKO, one by submission and two by decision.

Notable Wins

• Li Jingliang — split decision, round 3, UFC 279 (2022)
• Kevin Lee — unanimous decision, round 3, UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Chikadze (2021)
• Kevin Holland — unanimous decision, round 3, UFC 318 (2025)
• Santiago Ponzinibbio — KO/TKO, round 3, 1:12, UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs Figueiredo (2025)

Quick Facts

• Division: Welterweight
• UFC record: 10-5
• Professional record (all promotions): 20-6-0
• UFC debut: 2020
• Stance: Southpaw
• Height / reach: 6'1" / 74"
• Team: Classic Fight Team, Costa Mesa, CA
• Born: Los Angeles, CA, United States