‘Lazy Boy’ Rodriguez hospitalized after first octagon loss

Rolando Rodriguez didn’t have an easy time making it to UFC on ESPN 64 in his home country of Mexico, and the fallout has been even worse.

In the aftermath of his upset loss to Kevin Borjas (10-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) on Saturday at Arena CDMX in Mexico City, “Lazy Boy” Rodriguez (17-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) revealed he was hospitalized Monday due to complications stemming from his failed weight cut for the flyweight bout.

Rodriguez missed weight on Friday, tipping the scale at 127 pounds – one pound over the non-title divisional limit. He was fined 20 percent of his purse and the bout against Borjas went on as a catchweight.

“I had some complications due to my weight cut, but we’re good,” Rodriguez wrote in Spanish on an Instagram post with photos and videos of him at the hospital.

Rodriguez, who did not share additional information about the exact reason for his hospitalization, lost a unanimous decision to Borjas. It was the first defeat of his octagon career. Prior to the result, which was his first loss since 2020, Rodriguez had back-to-back UFC wins over Denys Bondar and Ode Osbourne.

UFC on ESPN 64 marked setback in his journey. Rodriguez is regarded as the biggest rising MMA star in Mexico with more than 2 million followers on Instagram. He came in as the favorite to win the bout and walked out to the cage with Mexican boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 64.