Modestino Rodrigues is officially headed to the UFC, capping off his run on Dana White’s Contender Series 90 with a lightning-fast TKO. The 22-year-old put Brandon Holmes away in a mere 15 seconds on Tuesday night, pushing his professional record to 8-1 and earning that coveted contract. The catch? The stoppage was so quick it has everyone, including UFC CEO Dana White himself, calling foul.
Dana White Calls It “Horrible”
You’d think a 15-second finish would be celebrated universally, right? Not this time. While Rodrigues absolutely did his job, the officiating decision to stop the fight was instantly controversial. Viewers were losing their minds, and White didn’t hold back either. He blasted the call as “horrible,” even going so far as to say it was “one of the worst stoppages I’ve seen on Contender Series.” That’s high praise from the guy who runs the whole show, and definitely not the kind of attention a ref wants.
Despite the uproar over the early stoppage, White still awarded Rodrigues the contract. He pointed out that Rodrigues came in to do his job, and he shouldn’t be penalized because of a controversial call by the official. Rodrigues, for his part, totally agreed. “I’m very happy because I worked very hard for this moment,” Rodrigues told reporters through an interpreter backstage. “I get in there to do my work. Everything flows from the work we put in there. I get in there and do my job, and the ref has to do his, as well. I feel that I did mine, and I feel that if the fight had lasted five more seconds, I would’ve finished that fight.” He’s confident in his power, and who can blame him after a 15-second finish?
Rodrigues Is Ready To Bring The Energy
Rodrigues isn’t backing down one bit, and why would he? The guy has maintained a 100 percent TKO finish rate in all his victories. That’s no joke. He’s got that killer instinct, and he’s ready to bring that same intensity to the big show. “That’s what it is,” Rodrigues explained. “It’s the energy I bring in. When I get in there, it takes over me, and I just notice right away. I’m very energetic but also intelligent at the same time and play smart.” He saw his moment against Holmes, saying, “When I saw the first two hands get in, I was like, ‘This is the moment. I need to finish this fight right now and get my contract.’” Talk about a focused fighter!
The UFC has been known to turn around impressive DWCS signees pretty fast, and Rodrigues barely broke a sweat. He’s totally ready for whatever comes next, whenever that first UFC bout offer hits his manager’s desk. “As I said, everything is new to me,” Rodrigues said. “Whatever Dana says, whatever my manager says, whatever the matchmaker says, I’ll be ready. This is my job. That’s work, and I’ll be ready to take on more work.” This guy is hungry, folks. Watch out for Modestino Rodrigues. He’s bringing the heat to the UFC roster, and we’re all looking forward to seeing that 100% TKO rate tested.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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