Marina Alcalde Rodriguez (born April 29, 1987) is a Brazilian former

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

. She competed in the women's

Strawweight Mini flyweight, also known as paperweight, minimumweight, strawweight, or super atomweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing In professional boxing, boxers in the minimumweight division may weigh no more than . This is a relatively new ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(UFC), achieving an 8-5 record, with 2 draws in the promotion.

Background

Rodriguez was born in

Bagé Bagé () is a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. In 2020, its population was 121,335 in a total area of 4,096 km2. It is the seventeenth largest city in the state according to the 2011 census. The city was f ...

, Brazil. She has two brothers, Gabriel and Roberto, of whom the latter is a two-time

Parapan American Games The Parapan American Games is an international multi-sport event for athletes with physical disabilities held every four years after every Pan American Games. The first Games were held in 1999 in Mexico City, Mexico. The 2003 Parapan American Ga ...

gold medalist in swimming. In her youth, Rodriguez played football, volley, basketball, and handball. Growing tired of the lack of physical exercise in her job as a

graphic designer A graphic designer is a practitioner who follows the discipline of graphic design, either within companies or organizations or independently. They are professionals in design and visual communication, with their primary focus on transforming ...

, she started looking for a way to lose some gained weight. Then, she found her now coach, Marcio Malko. Eventually, she joined a

muay Thai Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...

class in 2013 and soon thereafter started taking amateur bouts.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Rodriguez started her professional MMA career in 2015 and fought primarily in Brazil and amassed a record of 9–0 before competing in Dana White's Contender Series Brazil.

Dana White's Contender Series

Rodriguez appeared in

Dana White's Contender Series Dana White's Contender Series, formerly named Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series, is an American mixed martial arts promotion. In May 2017, the UFC announced White would hold the competition weekly on UFC Fight Pass (It has since been mov ...

(DWCS) Dana White's Contender Series Brazil 2 web-series program on August 11, 2018, facing Maria de Oliveira Neta. She won the fight via technical knockout in the first round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Rodriguez made her UFC debut on September 22, 2018, against

Randa Markos Randa Cemil Markos-Thomas (born August 10, 1985) is an Chaldean Iraqi-born Canadian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the strawweight division. She most notably fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Personal life ...

at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Anders. The back and forth contest was ultimately ruled a majority draw. Rodriguez next faced

Jessica Aguilar Jessica Aguilar (born May 8, 1982) is a Mexican mixed martial artist who competes in RIZIN. At the time of her voluntary departure from World Series of Fighting, she was the reigning WSOF Women's Strawweight Champion. Aguilar previously competed ...

on March 30, 2019, at UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Gaethje against. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Rodriguez faced

Tecia Torres Tecia Moncaio; born August 16, 1989, is an American mixed martial artist who is currently competing in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of May 6, 2025, she is #13 in the UFC women's strawweight r ...

on August 10, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 156. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Rodriguez faced

Cynthia Calvillo Cynthia Tafoya Calvillo ( , born July 13, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the strawweight and flyweight divisions. She is most notable for her stint in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial arts career Earl ...

, replacing an injured

Cláudia Gadelha Ana Cláudia Dantas Gadelha (; born December 7, 1988) is a Brazilian former professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Strawweight (MMA), Women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of 2022, Gadelha ...

, on December 7, 2019, at

UFC on ESPN 7 ''UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik'' (also known as '' UFC on ESPN 7'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 7, 2019 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., United States. ...

. At the weigh-ins, Calvillo weighed in at 120.5 pounds, 4.5 pounds over the strawweight non-title fight limit. The bout was held at a catchweight and Calvillo was fined 30% her purse, which went to Rodriguez. After three rounds of fighting, the bout ended with a majority draw. Rodriguez was expected to face former

UFC Women's Strawweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight class ...

Carla Esparza Carla Kristen Esparza (born October 10, 1987) is an American former professional mixed martial artist and wrestler who most recently competed in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which she is the fo ...

on July 15, 2020, at

UFC Fight Night 172 ''UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 172'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 30'' and ''UFC Fight Island 2'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 19, 2020 ...

. However the bout was cancelled after one of Rodriguez's cornermen tested positive for COVID-19. The pair eventually fought at

UFC on ESPN 14 ''UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 14'' and ''UFC Fight Island 3'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 26, 2020 at the du Forum on Yas Island, Abu ...

on July 26, 2020. Rodriguez lost the fight via split decision. 9 out of 18 media outlets scored the bout for both Rodriguez and Esparza. Rodriguez faced

Amanda Ribas Amanda Limborco Alcântara Ribas (born August 26, 1993) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Strawweight and Flyweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of March 11, 2025, ...

, replacing

Michelle Waterson Michelle Eileen Waterson-Gomez (born January 6, 1986) is an American former mixed martial artist, actress, stuntwoman, and model who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She is the former Invicta FC Atomweight Champion. Betwe ...

, on January 24, 2021, at

UFC 257 ''UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 24, 2021 at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Background Starting with ...

. Rodriguez won the fight via technical knockout in round two. This win earned her the '' Performance of the Night '' award. As the first fight of her new, multi-fight contract, Rodriguez faced

in a flyweight bout on May 8, 2021, at

UFC on ESPN 24 ''UFC on ESPN: Rodriguez vs. Waterson'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 24'' and ''UFC Vegas 26'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 8, 2021, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, ...

. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Rodriguez faced

Mackenzie Dern Mackenzie Lynne Dern (born March 24, 1993) is an American and Brazilian professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner currently competing in the women's Strawweight (MMA), Strawweight division of the U ...

on October 9, 2021, at

UFC Fight Night 194 ''UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Rodriguez'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 194'', ''UFC Vegas 39'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 52'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 9, 2021 at the UFC ...

. She won the fight via unanimous decision. This fight earned her the '' Fight of the Night ''award. Rodriguez faced

Yan Xiaonan Yan Xiaonan (born June 16, 1989) is a Chinese professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of April 15, 2025, she is #3 in the UFC women's strawwei ...

on March 5, 2022, at

UFC 272 ''UFC 272: Covington vs. Masvidal'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 5, 2022, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States. ...

. She won the fight via split decision. Rodriguez was expected to face

Amanda Lemos Amanda Oliveira de Lemos (born May 22, 1987) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of April 15, 2025, she is #4 in the UFC women's strawweight rankings, an ...

UFC 280 ''UFC 280: Oliveira vs. Makhachev'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 22, 2022, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Background A UFC Lightweight Champions ...

, but the bout was postponed to

UFC Fight Night 214 ''UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs. Lemos'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 214, UFC on ESPN+ 72'' and ''UFC Vegas 64'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on November 5, 2022 at the UFC ...

for unknown reasons. She lost the fight via technical knockout in the third round. Rodriguez was scheduled to face

Virna Jandiroba Virna Carole Andrade Jandiroba (born May 30, 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who currently competes in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She is a former Invicta Fighting Championships (Invic ...

on May 6, 2023, at UFC 288. She lost the fight by unanimous decision. Rodriguez faced Michelle Waterson-Gomez in a rematch on September 23, 2023, at

UFC Fight Night 228 ''UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs. Gamrot'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 228'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 86'' and ''UFC Vegas 79'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 23, 2023, at the UF ...

. She won the fight via technical knockout in round two. This win earned her the '' Performance of the Night award''. Rodriguez faced former

Jéssica Andrade Jéssica Fernanda da Costa Andrade (born September 25, 1991) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Strawweight and Flyweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is a ...

on April 13, 2024, at

UFC 300 ''UFC 300: Pereira vs. Hill'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 13, 2024, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Valley, United States. Background Ma ...

. She lost the bout by split decision. Rodriguez faced Iasmin Lucindo on October 5, 2024 at

UFC 307 ''UFC 307: Pereira vs. Rountree Jr.'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 5, 2024, at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Background The event marked the ...

. She lost the fight by split decision. 8 out of 13 media outlets scored the bout for Rodriguez. Rodriguez faced

Gillian Robertson Gillian Elizabeth Robertson (born May 17, 1995) is a Canadian professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of May 6, 2025, she is #9 in the UFC wome ...

on May 3, 2025 at

UFC on ESPN 67 ''UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 67'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 3, 2025 at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa Des M ...

. She lost the fight by technical knockout in the second round and subsequently announced her retirement from mixed martial arts competition.

Championships and awards

Mixed martial arts

** Performance of the Night (Two times) ** Fight of the Night (One time) **UFC.com Awards *** 2021: Ranked #9 Fighter of the Year

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 17–6–2 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:07 ,

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

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Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–3–2 , Michelle Waterson-Gomez , TKO (elbows and punches) , UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs. Gamrot , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:42 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–3–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC 288 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–2–2 ,

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, Decision (split) ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–1–2 , Michelle Waterson-Gomez , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Rodriguez vs. Waterson , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–1–2 ,

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, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:54 ,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–1–2 ,

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, United Arab Emirates , , - , Draw , align=center, ,

, Draw (majority) , UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–0–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Shevchenko vs. Carmouche 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, Uruguay , , - , Win , align=center, 11–0–1 ,

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, Draw (majority) , UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Anders , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Samara Santos Cunha , Decision (unanimous) , Fight 2 Night 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Foz do Iguaçu Foz do Iguaçu (; "Iguazu River mouth"), colloquially referred to as Foz, is the Brazilian city on the border of Iguaçu Falls. Foz in Portuguese language, Portuguese means the mouth or end of a river and Iguaçu in Guarani language, Guarani or Tup ...

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, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Vanessa Guimaraes , Submission (triangle choke) , Aspera FC 41 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:47 , São José, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Márcia Oliveira , TKO (punches) , Floripa FC: The Big Challenge , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:42 ,

Florianópolis Florianópolis () is the capital and second largest city of the state of Santa Catarina (state), Santa Catarina, in the South Region, Brazil, South region of Brazil. The city encompasses Santa Catarina Island and surrounding small islands, as we ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Caroline Silva , TKO (knee and punches) , Aspera FC 33 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:47 , São José, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Caroline Silva , Decision (unanimous) , Aspera FC 24 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , São José, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Silvania Monteiro , TKO (retirement) , São José Super Fight 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 , São José, Brazil , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Marina 1987 births Living people Sportspeople from Bagé Martial artists from Rio Grande do Sul Strawweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian female mixed martial artists Brazilian female Muay Thai practitioners Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters 21st-century Brazilian sportswomen

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Dana White's Contender Series

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Championships and awards

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record

See also

References

External links