Marina Rodriguez is wearing gloves after her latest defeat.
Gillian Robertson will become Rodriguez’s final opponent after handing a second round TKO loss to a Brazilian veteran at UFC Des Moines on Saturday.
Check out Robertson’s ruthless ground and pound finishing touches below.
Both women were then given time to Mike, and after 25 professional careers, Rodriguez had the moment to announce her retirement.
“It’s time, so this is my last fight,” Rodriguez said. “My heart said to me, ‘Marina, time to do something new for this sport.’ This is my last battle. Thank you to all MMA fans.
Rodriguez, 38, was signed from the Brazilian edition Dana White’s Candidate Series August 2018, and soon proved to be 115 pounds of power. She went 3-0-2, losing her close split decision to Cara Esparza, and then won four consecutive battles over ranked candidates Amandari Bas, Michelle Waterson Gomez, Mackenzie Dern and Jan Xiaonan. The opportunity for the title escaped her, but she did enough to consider the opportunity.
Unfortunately for Rodriguez, Saturday’s loss was her third straight set in six previous outings. She retires with a professional record of 17-6-2.
As for Robertson (16-8), she has earned the biggest win of her career. While the Canadians were long known for their exciting finishes, Rodriguez is the first top 10 opponent Robertson has beaten. With the TKO victory, Robertson is now tied with Amanda Nunes to finish the most by women in UFC history.
The previous flyweight dominated Rodriguez with her grappling before hitting her with a ground and pound strike to score a finish at 2:07 in round two.