Rodriguez’s late coach, Duke Roufus, taught him the move that
helped him finish Hyder
Amil.
Rodriguez (13-4) took on Amil (11-3) in a featherweight matchup at
UFC Fight Night 279 on Saturday in Las Vegas. “CeeRod” dropped
Amil with a flush shin-to-chin head kick in the opening round.
While Amil miraculously remained conscious, Rodriguez immediately
choked him out cold with a guillotine.
Rodriguez revealed that the head kick was always a staple move
while training under his late coach.
“My coach who passed away in October, his name was Duke Roufus, he
was a kickboxing legend,” Rodriguez said in a post-fight interview
with the
UFC. “He was known for head kicks… When people kind of start
defending like a boxer, the head kick will always be there. And it
worked out perfectly. It’s something that he passed on to me, and I
still have that knowledge. So, that’s something we capitalized
on.”
Feeling Rejuventated
Rodriguez’s win over Amil saw him rebound from back-to-back losses,
which was also the only time he lost two fights in a row in his
career. After Roufus’ demise this past October, Rodriguez moved to
Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas to train under the tutelage of Eric
Nicksick. Rodriguez’s win on Saturday also marked his return to
action after a 10-month hiatus. Rodriguez believes the time off
changed him as a person while renewing his love for the sport.
“I want to stay active,” Rodriguez said. “I missed the sport so
much; it’s been a long 10 months. But I feel like the time away
definitely made me into a different person. It’s definitely brought
the love for the sport again for me.”
“I feel like the time away
definitely made me into a different person.”Competing for the first time in 10 months, Christian
Rodriguez gets back in the win column with a first-round finish
at
#UFCVegas119Main Card Results ➡️ https://t.co/LzpMSWtPYxpic.twitter.com/34A4E2Ejl4— UFC News
(@UFCNews)
June 21, 2026
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