Top-15 middleweights run it back on Saturday night as No. 13-ranked Gregory Rodriguez takes on No. 15 Brunno Ferreira at UFC 326 in Las Vegas.
Rodrigues (18–6, 9–3 UFC) has won back-to-back bouts, most recently beating Roman Kopylov via unanimous decision in November. Ferreira (15–2, 6–2 UFC) is riding a three-fight winning streak, punctuated by December’s unanimous decision over Marvin Vettori.
The Brazilian grapplers first met at UFC 283 in January 2023, where Ferreira starched Rodrigues with a thunderous left hand in the first round.
Rodrigues enters as a -185 moneyline favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Ferreira sits as a +154 underdog. The total is set at 1.5 rounds.
Rodrigues vs. Ferreira Preview
Gregory Rodrigues
Gregory Rodrigues has a vast arsenal of weapons at his disposal — but he certainly has a favorite.
Despite his technical prowess, stamped with a jiu-jitsu black belt, “Robocop” is a slugger at heart. The 6-foot-3 freight train marches forward with reckless abandon, a strategy that’s yielded 11 professional knockouts and a 66% finish rate inside the Octagon.
But at the same time, he can become a culprit of overswinging and leaving his chin exposed. Case in point being his first meeting Ferreira, where he got starched in the first round of his opponent’s UFC debut in January 2023.
Now 34, Rodrigues has polished his game and won five of six fights since their initial encounter — his only loss coming to former title challenger Jared Cannonier. He’ll be looking to show a more measured version of himself in Saturday’s rematch.
Brunno Ferreira
Bruno Ferreira is a 5-foot-10 wrecking ball. Despite also being a skilled grappler, “The Hulk” prefers to smash. He’s a dangerous cocktail of crafty and explosive, leaning on his power and athleticism to swarm his opponents with an onslaught of strikes all thrown at maximum force. He boasts a 93% career finish rate with nine knockouts.
He wasted no time flashing his full-tilt style in his UFC debut, when he chinned Rodrigues with a booming left-hand in the first-round.
Ferreira, 33, enters the rematch riding a three-fight winning streak, capped by a decision win over former title challenger Marvin Vettori in December. He heads into Saturday’s contest looking for a repeat result against Rodrigues — but he may need a few more tricks up his sleeve this time around.
Rodrigues vs. Ferreira Pick, Best Bet
Rodrigues has a chance to prove he learned his lesson from his first bout with Ferreira. And as long as he remembers the Octagon isn’t Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, he should have no problem leaving Las Vegas with his hand raised.
“Robocop” is the more complete fighter, and he can lean on his towering size advantage and sound boxing fundamentals to effectively manage distance and land shots at range. So long as he doesn’t wander into “The Hulk’s” blast radius, he’ll be the only one with a chance to end the night with one swing.
Expect Rodrigues to avoid past mistakes and flip the script on Ferreira Saturday night.
