As two of the most frantic middleweights on the UFC roster, Gregory Rodrigues and Christian Leroy Duncan will look to put on the Fight of the Night at UFC 304. Both fighters enter their matchup on two-fight knockout win streaks on the verge of breaking into the divisional rankings with fan-friendly fight styles. Duncan, as the English representative, will be the fan favorite for as long as the bout lasts. The two finishers were originally expected to lock horns on the prelims but were promoted to the pay-per-view main card during fight week.
Gregory Rodrigues vs. Christian Leroy Duncan: Tale of the Tape
| Gregory Rodrigues | Christian Leroy Duncan | |
| 15-5 | Record | 10-1 |
| 6-2 | UFC Record | 3-1 |
| 32 | Age | 29 |
| 6’3″ | Height | 6’2″ |
| 75 inches | Reach | 79 inches |
| Kill Cliff FC | Team | Team Renegade |
| Henri Hooft | Head Coach | Dave Lovell |
| W2 | Streak | W2 |
Gregory Rodrigues vs. Christian Leroy Duncan: Fight Statistics
View the statistics for each fighter as they appear on UFC Stats ahead of their main event meeting at UFC 304:
| Gregory Rodrigues | Christian Leroy Duncan | |
| 6.08 | Significant Strikes Landed per Minute | 5.96 |
| 55% | Striking Accuracy | 62% |
| 5.3 | Significant Strikes Absorbed per Minute | 3.82 |
| 51% | Striking Defense | 50% |
| 2.46 | Takedown Average | 0.45 |
| 45% | Takedown Accuracy | 14% |
| 100% | Takedown Defense | 50% |
| 0.5 | Submission Average | 0 |
| 7:28 | Average Fight Time | 8:18 |
Gregory Rodrigues’ Last Fight
Rodrigues is a former Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion but nobody would be able to tell by watching any of his UFC fights. Despite being a high-level black belt, Rodrigues has showcased his boxing skills in the Octagon more than anything else, winning five of his six fights by knockout, including his last win over Brad Tavares. The win was by far the biggest of his career with Tavares being a longtime member of the top 15 while only losing to the best athletes in the division.
The fight was competitive for a while with both having success with their striking but Rodrigues held a significant power advantage and eventually broke down Tavares with a third-round standing TKO win. The way ‘Robocop’ impressed with the win had many fans pushing for him to enter the middleweight rankings but he has yet to do so. Another knockout win over Christian Leroy Duncan in Manchester could be the final obstacle to push him over the top.
Christian Leroy Duncan’s Last Fight
Duncan’s career did not get off on the right foot the way he likely imagined but picked back up in his two most recent performances with back-to-back knockout wins. After suffering the first loss of his career to Armen Petrosyan at UFC Vegas 75, Duncan finished both Denis Tiuliulin and Claudio Ribeiro with ground-and-pound to gain traction leading into his clash with Gregory Rodrigues.
Since signing with the UFC, Duncan has joined Team Renegade to train alongside welterweight champion Leon Edwards and has seen his production increase. The fan favorite “won” his UFC debut against Dusko Todorovic by injury but owns a 3-1 record in the Octagon after entering the organization as the Cage Warriors middleweight champion. Duncan does not have the grappling pedigree of Rodrigues but is as powerful and chaotic on the feet and is expected to immediately look to collide with the Brazilian in the center of the cage.
Key Statistics
UFC fighters do not get paid by the hour and Gregory Rodrigues and Christian Leroy Duncan exemplify that better than anybody in the middleweight division. Rodrigues’ average fight time of 7:28 is only slightly shorter than that of Duncan, who is averaging just 8:18 per outing in the Octagon. In their 12 combined UFC fights, only three have gone to a decision with Armen Petrosyan being involved in two of them, beating both by decision.
In the limited time they have lasted in the Octagon, both also put out impressive volume with Rodrigues averaging 6.08 significant strikes per minute and Duncan countering with 5.96 significant strikes per minute. Neither fighter traditionally looks for takedowns either, even with Rodrigues owning a decorated background in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
While Duncan has never been knocked out before, Rodrigues has been the first fighter to knock out many other men and both throw caution to the wind nearly the second they get the opportunity. Every time either guy has faced an equally dangerous opponent, the fight has not tended to last long and nothing is expected to change at UFC 304.
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