At UFC 318, Daniel Rodriguez stunned the MMA world by outclassing Kevin Holland en route to a dominant unanimous decision win. Despite being the underdog, ‘D-Rod’ silenced the doubters with a gritty, high-volume performance. But as Rodriguez celebrates the biggest win of his career, Holland has stirred controversy, taking to X with a bold accusation: “That boy was like a soap bar—but good boxing. Sorry for all the parlays we fooked up.”

Holland’s cryptic jab suggests Rodriguez greased himself to evade grappling exchanges. Amid the backlash, ‘D-Rod’ wasted no time firing back. In his conversation with Ariel Helwani, ‘D-Rod’ was asked about the allegations, to which he stated, “I was hard to grab, but that’s sweat. In the 3rd round, when he went for the choke, he didn’t even have it at the right angle.”

He further added, “I was able to just turn my body, get my shoulder out, and ended up back on top. I think that’s what might be what he’s referring to. I was just sweating. One thing I did do, though, as kind of a strategy… my head was freshly shaved. I knew if you try to get me in the d’arce, I would slip my head out real slick.”

Well, for those who are unaware, greasing up before a fight is illegal under the unified MMA rules. The fighters are only allowed to have Vaseline applied to their face, typically around their eyebrows, cheekbones, and under their eyes. Applying grease or any oily substance over your body before the fight is strictly prohibited under the unified laws.

After the fight, Kevin Holland was immediately transported to the hospital for a precautionary CT scan of his head and face after this insane brawl. It was in the hospital when ‘Trailblazer’ wrote that X post. Well, Rodriguez is now riding a three-fight winning streak and is expecting a place on the rankings after the Holland win.

Daniel Rodriguez expects a ranking after Kevin Holland’s victory

Daniel Rodriguez finally showed why he deserves to be ranked in the welterweight division after pulling off the biggest upset of UFC 318. Interestingly, both fighters were originally scheduled to face each other back in 2022, but the bout was canceled. After nearly three years, the UFC finally scheduled their fight, and ‘D-Rod’ proved why he belongs in the rankings.

Talking to the media, Rodriguez stated that his fight with Kevin Holland played out just as he was expecting, “That fight went exactly how I imagined it would have played out, given it’s Kevin Holland, you know? Crazy a– dude. I was excited to get this matchup, and I only had three and a half weeks to prepare for it.”

As he praised his opponent, ‘D-Rod’ expressed that he is expecting a ranking after his victory, “This fight means everything to me. Hopefully, it comes with a spot in the rankings, riding a three-fight win streak. Nothing but big names, and I’m a big name myself. That’s how I feel right now.” With back-to-back victories over the likes of Alex Morono, Santiago Ponzinibbio, and Kevin Holland, the UFC might consider giving him a spot, but where in the rankings? That is yet to be determined.