Anthony Hernandez admits that Gregory Rodrigues was a tough opponent, but he claims the Brazilian bruiser bent the rules.
Hernandez and Rodriguez collided in the UFC Sacramento main event this past Saturday. “Fluffy” had hopes of rebounding from a February loss to reigning middleweight titleholder Sean Strickland. Hernandez ended up engaging in a five-round war with Rodriguez, which earned both men “Fight of the Night” bonuses. It ended up being Rodrigues who pulled away with the close but unanimous decision win.
In the aftermath of UFC Sacramento, Hernandez has no excuses as he wasn’t afraid to say he made some mistakes that Rodrigues capitalized on. Still, “Fluffy” recalled telling referee Herb Dean that Rodrigues was getting his fingers inside his gloves when speaking to media members during the post-fight presser (h/t MMAJunkie).
“He’s a tough son of a b*tch, man,” Hernandez said. “I hit him with the kitchen sink, hit him with some hard elbows. F*cker was cheating and grabbing inside my gloves. I told Herb that. I fight clean, man. It is what it is. Maybe I should be more dirty.
“I told f*cking Herb, ‘This motherf*cker grabbed my glove like four times.’ I was like, ‘Hey, he’s grabbing my gloves,’ and he told him, ‘Hey, stop.’ Don’t take a point. Whatever. F*ck it. I guess people like to cheat, so it is what it is.”
It’ll be back to the drawing board for Hernandez, who has now suffered two straight losses for the first time in his pro MMA career. Many viewed Hernandez as a worthy contender at 185 pounds, but he’ll need to get back to his winning ways to reestablish himself as a true threat in the division. “Fluffy,” who turns 33 this October, still has his share of believers.
As for Rodrigues, he is seeking a big fight against former middleweight titleholder Dricus du Plessis. He believes the fight makes sense and he plans to have a discussion about it with his managers and the UFC brass.
What do you make about Anthony Hernandez’s comments on Gregory Rodrigues’ “cheating?” Drop a comment below.
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
