Daniel Rodriguez has revealed that he cashed in when he agreed on fight week to still fight Kelvin Gastelum at UFC On ABC 6 despite his opponent’s weight-cut issues forcing the match-up to be contested at 185lbs instead of 170lbs.
D-Rod would go on to lose the hard-hitting encounter by unanimous decision, but while he was initially unhappy with the unfair advantage he felt former middleweight Gastelum had with the late switch-up in weight, he’s consoling himself with the fact that financially it was a very successful night for him.
“I’m done complaining about the fight, f*** it, it happened,” Rodriguez stated on Instagram. “I knew the risk, with the risk came great rewards; I lost the fight but I gained so much more in return.
“A ton of respect from the fight community, a nice raise, a six-fight contract and 30 per cent of his f***ing [purse].
“You know, I can’t even be mad. Yeah I wanted to win but I won so much more in the end. I knew the risk, I took it, put on a hell of a show, fans love me and I love y’all. My kids are proud, my family’s proud so I lost but I won.”
His opponent Gastelum had headed into the bout knowing that it was a must-win given that he had lost six of his previous eight fights, not to mention the fact that this was the last fight on his current contract.
However, though he did get the win, Gastelum’s latest weigh-cutting mishap has meant there’s no guarantee he’ll be getting a new deal, with Dana White having voiced his annoyance at the way things played out during fight week.
“I’m not thrilled with Kelvin Gastelum right now,” White said of the UFC veteran at the post-fight press conference. “The guy’s missed weight like three times in his career.”
“You got kids taking fights on a week’s notice, jumping on cards, coming over here and making weight and Kelvin doesn’t make weight,” White added. “It’s extremely disappointing.”
