Daniel Rodriguez on what’s next after defeating Li Jingliang at UFC 279: “I’ll fight anybody”

Daniel Rodriguez is fresh off a big victory at UFC 279 and he’s looking forward to what’s next.

Rodriguez was going to meet Kevin Holland on the main card, but things got shuffled. Rodriguez ended up facing Li Jingliang instead. It was a good night for Rodriguez, who scored a split decision victory over “The Leech.”

During the post-fight press conference, Rodriguez said he knew he was in a nail-biter, but he felt confident as the score totals were being read (via MMAJunkie).

“It was a close fight, a really close fight,” Rodriguez said. “I thought I did more in the later rounds and I picked up the pace a little bit more. And yeah, I did what I had to do to win the fight.”

Rodriguez said he was unsure if Jingliang would take the short-notice fight given the weight disparity.

“I wasn’t sure if he was going to take the fight considering that I did weigh in nine pounds heavier than him,” Rodriguez said. “But when he did, I was happy that he accepted the fight.

As far as what’s next goes, Rodriguez is simply playing it cool until he gets a call from the UFC matchmakers.

“I mean, I’ve been looking for a fight. It’s been a while. I’m coming off a year layoff and against an opponent like that it was a crazy situation, but like always, I’ll fight anybody. That’s why I stepped up to fight Holland and this guy. It really makes no difference who I fight.”

With the win over Jingliang, Rodriguez has improved his pro MMA record to 17-2. He is riding a four-fight winning streak and hasn’t suffered a loss since November 21, 2020.