From UFC Connected, Brazilian sensation Gregory Rodrigues details how he’s dedicated his life to fulfilling his father’s dream …
UFC middleweight Gregory Rodriguez’s father was a buddy martial artist who sacrificed his own career to help develop his children the fighter known as RoboCop dedicated himself to fulfilling his father’s dream Gregory’s dad tragically passed away before he could see his son compete in the UFC but Gregory is determined that his father’s Legacy will live on in the form of UFC gold we find out more in this edition of Origins Gregory Rodriguez a rising middleweight Mana is a Jiu-Jitsu Master it was his father that got him into martial arts he’s a black belt Brazilian Jiu Jitsu nasty Muay Thai he certainly is known as a finisher oh excitement personified Gregory RoboCop Rodriguez I growing up in the middle of the Jungle in the poor neighborhood in manaus I started martial arts with my five years old my father was a cop with a master and he introduced us to the Capoeira my daughter was a Visionary he uh think that was good for us and all for the discipline my dad was a big fan of MMA he has tapes of the first ufcs and I remember when I was kid and we watching a pride you know my daddy’s dream was become a fighter but he couldn’t live in that dream because three kids man is so hard so I think he looked into me when I was getting all this is going to be a you know a great fighter I started Jujitsu with my eight years old one of my father’s friend he knew a good place and I saw like the kid and oh I want to do that again I want to do that too because so many kids like playing and then that’s that’s how we started my career in Jiu Jitsu was great I was in the hype and the high level I got gold medal and more professional tournament in Abu Dhabi and my eight eight times national champion in Brazil one of the reasons I decided to move to MMA was the financially Jiu Jitsu is a kind of expensive because I was in my house and all the big tournaments was outside there and I was like 20 years old almost turned 21 and I said man I need to make money so my dad watching my two first fights on TV and then on my third fight I bought a ticket to him to come to Rio janitor to watch him live my brother and my father they supposed to arrive in Rio Grande on Tuesday morning I think Alex was like almost 5 A.M my wife she call into my home she told me like my dad passed away my dad had some groceries of the liver it was hard to see my dad so sick because always a soul my dad like strong going to work playing capoeira and then he passed away like two weeks before that fight I lost my fight I lost my decision that did me a lot because that’s like make me like be a man his dream no pass away because that’s still in my mind you know like that’s still alive here in 2018 I decided I need to move to America if I want to live there you know as a fighter my manager calling me and they said hey Gregory you get a chance in the contender series and I said nah man I’m no way being the contender for me at the time was like almost the same being the UFC fighter who began training at five years old in capoeira with his father started Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at eight years old here is Gregory Rodriguez when I started the contracts they contained a series and my mind is that man I’m in the UFC already everything’s down demo in but I’m in the UFC already fight song Rodriguez just looks strong I mean but look at this Jordan Williams oh don’t pushing forward forwards by Knockouts When I Fall in the contender series and I lost so many things changed in my life I started thinking about stop the fight because I remember I said man I trained it because I was forcing to train that was not my will and I started like a lot of questions on my head and I asked the question that’s my father’s dream on that’s my dream I think like man I’m not living my dream I’m not doing that because I want that was my daddy’s dream that was because my dad like introduced me in this sport my wife and I we make a lot of plans you know being the UFC get a little bit more money change your life and that didn’t happen and man like I was very lost my friends from Brazil they started moving down here to Florida and I said we don’t need to be in California maybe we need more friends or we need to change our life I don’t want to fight no more and then I decided with her let’s forget everything here and let’s go move to Florida and always I ask myself what am I gonna do and every morning I start to pray God help me open my eyes let me see what I need to do I remember one day I was in front of the mirror and looking to myself and started crying and and I remember like when I started training my dad was there I remember when I lost my dad in 2015 and then I said man that was my dad’s dream and he give his own life to show me something good man I got a chance almost to get in the UFC I don’t know to do nothing then fight then training then be inside the cage that’s become my dream right now nice if I’m gonna do that I’m gonna do this for real my manager called me and he offered for me to fight in LFA and then I said man put him in there I’ll find that face foreign and talk to my coach and say Ben so now that was made inside the kid 100 man I like this now and then I fought for the belt ready to just get his jab going keep hard drinking is this fight is spectacular fashion I got the Lefty Belton on the Friday night and my phone ring was my manager calling me and just for telling me I was in the UFC like I almost give up man I was close to give up what a whirlwind it’s been stay ready that’s the message Gregory Rodriguez was ready after winning his last fight to become the LFA middleweight champion we’ve seen several LFA middleweight Champions come to the Big Show and have success I mean that’s how you take someone down with authority is in a lot of trouble Gregory my fight against Julian Park was a fight off the knife old school dog fight between these two players Man I’m The Rebel cop they need to take my head out to stop me because we’re going to do my feet I will fight until the end to get my victory oh oh he’s marching them down Gregory Rodriguez but it was the biggest fan of myself and if you see me right now oh my goodness to see his face and always smiling and seeing his eyes shine see me where I am right now how is Marquez still up oh he’s knocked down he’s out on his feet oh my God and wow the fight against shitty was a war the real war because I knew like how good titty is oh oh that’s a buck with the well-timed knee Rodriguez is busted open how is he still standing I didn’t expect like beginning of the fight you open the gas on my on my forehead I started bleeding a lot and that’s going on my eyes and I was kind of blind in the fight oh look at that cut oh oh my goodness oh in the UFC man everyone is gonna be tough you know I just need to do my best every single day improve myself and and be the best if I can be dude Gregory Rodriguez is one of my new favorite Fighters for sure back Gregory RoboCop Rodriguez I’m so happy man like I always expect like fight like that man we are inside the UFC that’s a that’s a World Cup the best fighters is here and number one off there so yeah man uh I’m just happiness grateful for everything happened now in my life I’m a fighter for my job but outside there I want to be the best father I want to be the best husband for my wife I’m a guy live like that always try to improve myself I’m so grateful for my dad I was so grateful what he did because he gave me a gift to change my life and so now I I just want to tell you like how much I love him and uh and I say thank you you know I appreciate you for everything you gave to me for the man I am today for the daddy you was to me if I’m like just one percent like you would submit for my daughter man I will be a great father I couldn’t agree so thank you