Christian Rodriguez defeated Hyder Amil via first-round finish at UFC Vegas 119. He attributed the victory to techniques taught by his late coach Duke Roufus.
Rodriguez returned to the Octagon after a 10-month layoff and secured the win on the main card. The fighter said the time away helped him approach the bout differently.
"I feel like the time away definitely made me into a different person," Rodriguez stated after the fight. He added that he felt rejuvenated heading into the matchup.
Rodriguez specifically credited his late coach Duke Roufus with teaching him the move used to finish Amil. The result marked his return to the win column at the Las Vegas event.