Daniel Rodriguez

It wasn't the firefight that was expected on short notice, but Daniel Rodriguez got the job done against Li Jingliang at UFC 279.

But Daniel was not to be deterred as he got right back at it, landing a big head kick semi-cleanly at the end of the round which the Leech ate and used to dump D-Rod to his back as the buzzer sounded. In his post-fight interview, D-Rod initially said he did not feel like he did enough to win but went on to say that he thought he could have stolen it in the final round. Rodriguez opened the third round with forward pressure as his opponent was back in his orthodox stance. D-Rod got back to his jabbing and kicking ways early on as Jingliang started to load up a bit and overextend with his right hand, though it landed to the body and upstairs at times. Early in round two, the Leech began taunting a bit, dropping his hands, crouching down, and wiggling his body as he backed up in a little dance. Soon afterward, a caught kick from the Leech led to him dumping Daniel.

Daniel Rodriguez convinced two of the three cageside judges he did enough to earn a victory on the UFC 279 main card.

Darian Weeks via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)](//mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-279-khamzat-chimaev-nate-diaz-play-by-play-live-results”) Melissa Martinez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)](//mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-279-khamzat-chimaev-nate-diaz-play-by-play-live-results”) [Yohan Lainesse def. Chad Anheliger via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)](//mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-279-khamzat-chimaev-nate-diaz-play-by-play-live-results”) [Elise Reed def. Danyelle Wolf via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)](//mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-279-khamzat-chimaev-nate-diaz-play-by-play-live-results”) [Heili Alateng def. Hakeem Dawodu via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)](//mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-279-khamzat-chimaev-nate-diaz-play-by-play-live-results”) [Jailton Almeida def. Jake Collier via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:24](//mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/09/ufc-279-video-chris-barnett-incredible-comeback-second-round-tko-jake-collier”) [Norma Dumont def. Jamie Pickett via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:52](//mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/09/ufc-279-video-denis-tiuliulin-breaks-down-jamie-pickett-knockout-point-deduction”) [Chris Barnett def. Anton Turkalj via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:27](//mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/09/ufc-279-video-jailton-almeida-overwhelms-anton-turkalj-early-submission”) [Denis Tiuliulin def. Ion Cutelaba via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:37](//mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/09/ufc-279-results-johnny-walker-submits-ion-cutelaba-in-first-round-to-open-main-card”) [Julian Erosa def. Macy Chiasson via TKO (body kick) – Round 3, 2:21](//mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/09/ufc-279-results-irene-aldana-lands-liver-kick-from-bottom-to-finish-macy-chiasson”) [Johnny Walker def. Rodriguez (16-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) entered fight week preparing for a catchweight contest against Kevin Holland, whereas his replacement, Li Jingliang anticipated a welterweight fight against Tony Ferguson. In the first round, Rodriguez controlled the pace of the action early, pressing forward as he landed punches.

Daniel Rodriguez took a split decision over Jingliang Li on the UFC 279 PPV main card.

Li stayed with his kicking attack in the final frame, still attacking the body and the legs alike. Li threw a ton of kicks to score, and used a lot of footwork and head movement to avoid the big blows of Rodriguez, but it wasn’t enough in the eyes of two of the three judges. It was back to the kicks for Li, but Rodriguez decided to start attacking the legs as well.

Daniel Rodriguez defeated Li Jingliang via split decision, at UFC 279 on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, live from T-Mobile Arena In Las Vegas, NV.

Jingliang landed a trio of punches and continued to find success with his striking in the early minutes of the round. Rodriguez landed a strong counter and started pushing forward again, continuing to find success with his jab. Rodriguez landed a head kick but Jingliang caught the leg on the way down and dumped him to the ground right before the horn. The two fighters continued to trade kicks and punches throughout the round. Rodriguez landed a punch but immediately, Jingliang landed two left hands that changed the momentum. Jingliang was originally supposed to fight Tony Ferguson in a welterweight fight.

Check out the best photos from Daniel Rodriguez's split decision win over Li Jingliang at UFC 279 in Las Vegas.

Li Jingliang at UFC 279: Best photos (Photos by Joe Camporeale, USA TODAY Sports) Check out the best photos from