Gregory Rodriguez responds to cheating allegations following his statement win over Anthony Hernandez at UFC Sacramento, firmly denying any wrongdoing and insisting he earned the victory fair and square.
Rodrigues delivered one of the biggest wins of his career on Saturday night, defeating the higher-ranked Hernandez by unanimous decision in a thrilling five-round main event. The victory extended his winning streak and strengthened his position in the UFC middleweight rankings.
However, the spotlight quickly shifted after the fight when Hernandez accused Rodrigues of grabbing the inside of his gloves during grappling exchanges to defend takedown attempts.
Now, Gregory Rodriguez responds to these the accusations and stands by his performance inside the Octagon.
“He can say whatever he wants,” Rodrigues said during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show. “The fact is I beat him with leg kicks and punches. He didn’t take me down. He didn’t do anything. He put good pressure on me, but I didn’t cheat, and he knows that.”
Rodrigues made it clear that he believes the fight was a hard-fought battle between two competitors trying to finish each other from start to finish.
“I didn’t cheat during the fight,” Rodrigues said. “We fought hard. It was a dogfight. Everybody saw it. We tried to kill each other every moment and every round.
“If it was obvious, Herb Dean would have said something, or everyone watching on television would have seen it.”
Despite Hernandez’s frustration, Rodrigues chose not to escalate the situation and instead praised his opponent for his toughness.
“In the end, I’m still the same. I have a lot of respect for him. He’s a warrior, a tough guy, and he’s going to bounce back.”
The controversy began after Hernandez voiced his concerns during the UFC Sacramento post-fight press conference.
According to Hernandez, Rodrigues repeatedly grabbed the inside of his gloves during key moments of the fight, and he claimed he informed referee Herb Dean multiple times.
“The more I saw him slowing down, I thought, ‘OK, I’m going to get him this round,’” Hernandez said.
“I hit him a few times. I rocked him. He’s a tough son of a b*tch. I hit him with everything and the kitchen sink, landed some hard elbows, but he was cheating and grabbing the inside of my gloves. I told Herb Dean that. I fight clean, so it is what it is. Maybe I should be more dirty.”
“I told Herb, ‘This motherf*cker grabbed my glove like four times. Hey, he’s grabbing my gloves.’ He told him to stop, but they didn’t take a point or anything. Whatever. I guess people like to cheat, so it is what it is.”
While Hernandez remains frustrated by what he believes happened during the fight, no penalties were issued, and referee Herb Dean did not deduct any points from Rodrigues.
As a result, the unanimous decision victory stands, giving Rodrigues a crucial win over the No. 7-ranked middleweight contender.
For now, Gregory Rodriguez responds to cheating allegations by maintaining that he competed fairly and that the outcome reflected what happened inside the cage.
With the win, Rodrigues continues his climb toward the top of the middleweight division, while Hernandez is left looking for answers after a hard-fought defeat in one of the most entertaining fights of the year.
