Mike Rodriguez Wants To Fight "Idol" Shogun Rua: He "Got Me Into The Sport"

Mike Rodriguez is riding high after UFC Vegas 7 and has his eyes set on a legend of the sport.

Rodriguez (11-4) fights Ed Herman at UFC Vegas 10 on Saturday, September 12; however, he hopes to cross paths with Mauricio Rua afterwards.

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"I know the one person -- obviously not right now because I think he's already booked -- but in an ideal world I would like to fight 'Shogun' before he retires. He's the one who got me into the sport," Rodriguez told Fightful after his first-round KO over Marcin Prachnio. "I idolize him. I don't even have to fight him, training with him is fine. I'll be fine with that too. It would be cool. It would be really cool."

"It felt amazing," he said of his highlight-reel knockout elbow against Pracnhio. "It felt perfect. Everything in camp went perfect, it was just a perfect happy ending. That's what stood out the most for me."

Rodriguez and Herman will meet at UFC Vegas 10. The card will be headlined by Michelle Waterson and Angela Hill after Glover Teixeira vs. Thiago Santos was moved due to a positive COVID-19 test. Rua will face Paul Craig at UFC 255 on November 21, a rematch from the pair's split draw one year prior.

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