Scouting Report: Marina Rodriguez

Marina Rodriguez

Born: April 29, 1987 (Age: 35) in Bage, Brazil
Division: Women’s Strawweight
Height: 5’7”
Reach: 65”
Record: 16-1-2 (6-1-2 UFC)
Association: Thai Brasil
Stage of Career: Prime/Slightly Post-Prime

Summary: Rodriguez is one of the premier strikers in the women’s strawweight division, with a deadly right cross at range and an array of powerful, effective kicks at range. Her boxing lacks other punches outside of the cross, but it connects often enough. In the clinch, she is easily the top striker in the division, as she utilizes brutal knees and a nifty short elbow with which she abuses opponents. Her grappling remains a relative weakness, but it is difficult to exploit: She can stay upright against most adversaries and has strong technique in terms of getting back to her feet, even if she lacks some athleticism. Rodriguez is tough, and even when opponents pass her guard and apply their ground-and-pound, she does not give up or become discouraged; she simply waits for a round to end. As a result, she has won fights—or at least settled for draws—in which she was severely outgrappled. Additionally, Rodriguez is a smart fighter with excellent cardio, as she has never appeared to tire despite energetic output in three- and five-round bouts.

STRIKING

• Stance: Orthodox.
• Hand Speed: Slightly below average.
• Jab: Lacks the full range of motion, which makes it mediocre. She does not use it often.
• Cross: By far her best punch. Straight with solid technique and plenty of impact—enough to knock out Amanda Ribas on the counter.
• Right Hook: Mixed bag. Clumsy but effective. It has a solid arc, but she does not properly rotate into the punch with her hips. Nevertheless, it had enough power to drop Jessica Aguilar.
• Overhand Right: Straight-armed and windmilled, it is an ineffective weapon.
• Uppercuts: Does not throw them.
• Solitary Striker or Volume Puncher: Mostly solitary, but she can open up with a barrage of punches when she sees an opponent hurt or retreating.
• Favorite Combinations: The one-two, which she throws over and over. Although it can be clumsy and inaccurate at times, the technique never degrades.
• Leg Kicks: She favors a chopping calf kick and sometimes uses an effective front kick to the lower leg—an underutilized strike.
• Body Kicks: Features a nice assortment of side, front and teep kicks to the stomach. The latter two are especially effective.
• Head Kicks: Technical and fast enough, but they lack power.
• Chains Kicks to Punches: Yes, especially the leg kicks, and she does it well.

Rodriguez has limitations to her striking but has proven highly effective at what she does and presents a mismatch against virtually every opponent due to her height. Her main shot is the straight right—a powerful, accurate punch with the potential for knockouts. She also loves throwing the one-two. However, her jab, right hook and overhand right are all weak and flawed punches. Her kicks rank as some of the best in the division. Thrown in variety, they are all quite effective, especially the front and teep kicks aimed so well at the midsection. Rodriguez can also chain kicks to punches well—a rare skill.

CLINCH

• Physical Strength: Can hold her own against most grapplers.
• Technique: Pairs good movement with her techniques, but she either fails to angle off or does so too slowly.
• Knees: Punishing and accurate.
• Elbows: Powerful and effective.
• Defense Against Knees/Elbows: Opponents run into extreme difficulty hitting her due to her height and her prowess in the Thai clinch.

Rodriguez may be the most dangerous clinch striker in the UFC women’s strawweight division. Not only does she have powerful, accurate knees that are made deadlier by her height, but he she has a nifty and dangerous short elbow, which remains a rarity in women’s MMA. In terms of grappling, she can hold her own and has been difficult to take down, though the best wrestlers can succeed in doing so.

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GRAPPLING

• Wrestling from a Shot: Non-existent.
• Wrestling in the Clinch: Shows some limited ability in this area, having caught Mario Oliveira’s leg before pushing her down and securing one of her rare takedowns.
• Takedown Defense: Turns well with her hips at times but looks slow at others, and she struggled against better wrestlers who follow through or set up their attempts. She was taken down by Carla Esparza and Amanda Ribas but defended well against Jessica Aguilar and Tecia Torres. Rodriguez also partially nullified Mackenzie Dern and an overweight Cynthia Calvillo.
• Ability to Return to Feet: Another mixed bag. She used a butterfly guard against Aguilar and hit a sweep to move into top position. Rodriguez also hip escaped to a standing position against Calvillo—an admirable accomplishment. However, part of the problem is that she can be slow and lumbering when getting back to her feet, even when she gets significant separation.
• Submissions: Mostly absent from her arsenal at her current level.
• Defense/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from the Bottom: Can throw some nice elbows from her back if the opponent postures up. Rodriguez is quite tough but has otherwise proven to be vulnerable to having her guard passed and absorbing ground-and-pound if she cannot get back to her feet immediately after the takedown.
• Top Control: Fails to maintain position there for long.
• Ground-and-Pound: Administers significant punches by utilizing her body well and often incorporates a short elbow.

Rodriguez’s main weakness can be found in the grappling department, but it is not a significant one. She offers above-average takedown defense, though the best grapplers can take her down. The Brazilian also has sound technique in terms of getting back to her feet but lacks speed and athleticism in that regard. If solidly grounded, she can be open to strikes and having her guard passed, but she is durable and never gives in to adversity, surviving a round to start the next one standing. Offensively, she can get the occasional takedown and features dangerous, effective ground-and-pound during the brief periods in which she stays on top.

INTANGIBLES

• Athleticism/General Physical Strength: Can hold her own in grappling exchanges despite her lanky frame, but a lack of dynamism holder her back when it comes to getting back to her feet.
• Cardio: Maintains a constant, high-energy attack until the end of the third round in most bouts. Fights at a slightly slower pace and looks strong into the fifth round of main events.
• Chin: Untested, as she has never been remotely hurt.
• Recuperative Powers: Believed to be decent until proven otherwise.
• Intelligence: She can sometimes become overzealous while moving forward, resulting in her being taken down. However, Rodriguez has shown herself to be a smart, patient fighter who excels at exploiting opportunities. She has shown fight-to-fight improvement despite getting a late start in MMA.