The action at UFC Des Moines was looking a little, well, not-so-action-packed, until welterweights Daniel Rodriguez and Santiago Ponzinibbio stepped inside the Octagon. The fight almost went the distance and looked like it would go to a decision, like the three fights before it. Well, that was until ‘D-Rod’ registered a thunderous knockout win that slammed the Argentine fighter to the mat. And that got the fans riled up for what was to come.

Daniel Rodriguez, before his UFC Des Moines matchup, mentioned that he didn’t feel like he was 38 years old at all. “I’ve only been fighting a little over 10 years,” he stated during the media day. Well, Rodriguez’s performance proved that claim as he stayed on the front foot from the get-go against Santiago Ponzinibbio.

‘D-Rod’ could have finished the fight at UFC Des Moines in the very first round, as he caught Santiago Ponzinibbio with a pretty good strike. But the latter survived, but not for too long. On the 1:42 mark of the third round, Daniel Rodriguez finally sealed the deal after flooring ‘Argentine Dagger’, and then made it clear who he wants to fight next.

It seems like Daniel Rodriguez has some beef with Jake Matthews. After registering his first finish in almost four years, ‘D-Rod’ made sure to let Matthews know that he’s coming for him. “It feels great to finally get a finish. I’ve been on a rollercoaster these past six fights. I knew it was going to be a war… Jake Matthews, you’ve been talking that mess. You can get it, too,” said Rodriguez in the post-fight interview.

And what’s more, this was the first of three finishes on the main card. Following in D-Rod’s stride, Reinier De Ridder handed Bo Nickal his first career loss in a KO/TKO win. Cory Sandhagen did the same to Deiveson Figueiredo in the main event. Both fights ended in Round 2!

While we wait to see what Jake Matthews has to say about that call-out, we might need to see what the fans had to say after an epic win for Daniel Rodriguez. Unsurprisingly, they were all positive about him, but not so much when it comes to his opponent. Here’s what they had to say.

Fans claim Daniel Rodriguez injected some excitement into the UFC Des Moines main card

Fans were all praises for Daniel Rodriguez, who not only registered his first finish in almost four years but supposedly gave them an exciting moment in the form of a knockout. The fights prior to his all went to decisions, which may have rubbed fans the wrong way. “D-ROD!!! That will wake everybody up,” one fan tweeted in that regard. The praises just kept coming as the welterweight fighter also got a pat on the back from lightweight fighter Terrance McKinney. “D rod is back lfg.”

Meanwhile, we all know that referees often make errors while officiating fights, and one of the most common mistakes they make is stopping fights a bit earlier than most people feel. That was the same sentiment when it came to Rodriguez’s finish as well. But one fan noticed Santiago Ponzinibbio wobbling even after the fight ended, leading him to claim that the referee made the right decision. “Was about to say early stoppage until i saw him stand up.. Bro went running face first into the cage,” that fan commented on X. Similarly, another fan commented, “Look at Ponzi stumble in the background.”

On the other hand, Santiago Ponzinibbio has only had three successful outings since 2021, and seeing what happened against Daniel Rodriguez, fans don’t seem to want the Argentine back in action ever again. “Pillow hands Ponz looked like s–t. Don’t want to see him fight anymore,” said one fan on X. Meanwhile, some fans were expecting the fight to end in the way that it did, as a X user said, “it was bound to happen!! that REACH THO!!” But why hasn’t Ponzinibbio been able to get back in his winning ways and stay consistent? Well, fans seem to believe that his loss to Li Jingliang was a turning point in his career. “D-Rod just slept Ponzinibbio! Ponzi’s chin has just completely gone since the Li Jingliang fight.”

Well, what do you think about Daniel Rodriguez’s knockout win? Drop your comments below.