Santa Rosa’s Imanol Rodríguez to make UFC debut against Kevin Borjas in Mexico City
Imanol Rodríguez will make his UFC debut on Feb. 28 in Mexico City against kevin borjas, a 10-4 flyweight, capping a stretch of accelerated training that included final sessions at Sanchez Boxing MMA in Santa Rosa.
Kevin Borjas and the flyweight matchup
Rodríguez, 26 and undefeated at 6-0, will step into the UFC’s 125-pound flyweight ranks on the main card opposite Kevin Borjas (10-4). The bout closes Rodríguez’s rapid rise from competition on the UFC’s reality shows to a sanctioned UFC fight night: he advanced to the semifinal round on The Ultimate Fighter after being taken with the No. 3 pick and earned a contract last fall by beating Roque Conceição TKO in the first round on the Contender Series.
Santa Rosa training and Rodriguez’s preparation
In late January Rodríguez trained at Sanchez Boxing MMA, entering the warehouse gym near Railroad Square with a camo-patterned backpack and finishing a second practice of the day. He shadow-boxed, hit pads and worked heavy bags; at one session he warmed up with a jump rope and wore pink hand wrap. Rosendo Sanchez, the gym owner and Rodríguez’s striking coach, said the fighter’s attention to detail and work ethic set him apart and called him “a good kid” who is putting Santa Rosa on the map.
How Rodriguez got here and what’s next
Originally from Ensenada and known as “Himan, ” Rodríguez splits training time between Sanchez’s Donahue Street gym and Daniel Cormier’s wrestling academy in Gilroy. Cormier’s team selected him as a top pick on the TV show, and Sanchez — who has worked with Cormier’s training staff and been a striking coach for fighters such as Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev — helped shepherd Rodríguez through his transition to the UFC. After his final Sonoma County session, Rodríguez planned to spend most of February in Mexico preparing for the Feb. 28 fight night in Mexico City.
kevin borjas will bring a 10-4 record into the matchup at 125 pounds, and Rodríguez arrives undefeated at 6-0. That pairing sets the stage for Rodríguez’s first official UFC cage appearance on Feb. 28 in Mexico City, where he will appear on the main card.
Rodríguez’s next confirmed event is the Feb. 28 fight night in Mexico City; his training team will continue preparations in Mexico through fight week before the main-card bout.
