Piera Rodriguez looking to prove she’s not ‘just a striker’ on Contender Series

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Venezuela’s Piera Rodriguez has accumulated quite the resume over the last several years, most recently grabbing the LFA strawweight title in April. Now, she plans to showcase all of her skills in order to secure a UFC contract.

In this interview with Rodriguez, she details what it’s been like training with some of the top fighters in the world, how she’s been able to rattle off finishes to this point, and much more.

Rodriguez is set to appear on Week 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series. The 28-year-old has gained a reputation of being a feared striker, yet she’s looking forward to displaying her full skillset on the big stage.

Piera Rodriguez Interview

“I’m feeling good, I think everything went really good in my camp,” she began, “I think I’m gonna put on a great performance in this fight because I’m so much more of a complete athlete. I’m not gonna be just a striker out there. So I’m confident cause I’ve done all the work that has to be done.”

Rodriguez has been putting in hours of hard work alongside some of the UFC’s top competitors in the women’s divisions. She’s spent time training with the likes of Mackenzie Dern, Tabatha Ricci, and Sabina Mazo in preparation for this fight.

“Well, ya know I was kind of nervous because they are on another level, they are already there (UFC),” she said. “But when I start moving around and training with them, I noticed that I’m not so far away. I noticed that I’m not so far away from that level, which was really good for my confidence. It made me realize that I’m on the right path.”

DWCS matchup with Valesca Machado

“I think it’s really gonna be an exciting fight for people to watch,” Rodriguez stated. “We both are really aggressive fighters so it’s gonna be really interesting. Valesca is very good at her style with what she does, but I think I’ve been training so many other tools that she won’t expect from me in this fight.”

“Everybody thinks I’m just a striker,” she asserted, “And nobody knows yet that I’m improving my wrestling, my Jiu-Jitsu, and everything. So I think I’m gonna surprise her with my style of fighting.”

If Rodriguez gets her grappling up to par with her striking prowess, she’s going to be nearly impossible to beat. Thus far, she’s gone a perfect 6-0 with five wins coming by way of TKO stoppage. “I have some pretty heavy hands,” she confirmed. “It’s just kind of my style, to find the target, to wait, to stay ready for the right moment and just go for it when it’s the perfect moment.”

Any added pressure to impress Dana with a finish?

The finish has come naturally to Piera Rodriguez so far throughout her career. Although, there’s always a little added pressure to really impress Dana White and the UFC brass on the Contender Series.

“Of course, it’s a little more pressure because he’s gonna be there and we all want to fight for him,” she replied. “I think if I just keep focusing on my strategy it’s going to be a very exciting fight and he’ll like that. I just have to keep doing what I’ve been doing for the last seven years. Whenever I fight I put all my heart into it and there’s so much passion in the octagon when I start fighting.”

Make sure to tune in on Tuesday, Oct. 19th when Piera Rodriguez steps inside the octagon in attempt to secure her UFC contract. The event begins at 8 pm (EST) and it can be viewed on ESPN+.

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