Christian Rodriguez credits late coach Duke Roufus for UFC Vegas 119 finish

Christian Rodriguez honored his late coach Duke Roufus with a first-round finish at UFC Vegas 119 on Saturday night.

Rodriguez dropped Hyder Amil with a shin-to-chin head kick before locking in a guillotine choke that left his opponent unconscious. According to Sherdog, the featherweight fighter attributed the knockout sequence to techniques drilled into him by Roufus, a kickboxing legend who died this past October.

"My coach who passed away in October, his name was Duke Roufus, he was a kickboxing legend," Rodriguez told the UFC in his post-fight interview. "He was known for head kicks… When people kind of start defending like a boxer, the head kick will always be there. And it worked out perfectly. It's something that he passed on to me, and I still have that knowledge. So, that's something we capitalized on."

Return from 10-month layoff snaps skid

The win stopped a two-fight losing streak for Rodriguez, the only time he had dropped consecutive bouts in his 17-fight career. After Roufus' death, Rodriguez reportedly moved his training camp to Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas under head coach Eric Nicksick. The featherweight said the 10-month break between fights helped him rediscover his passion for competition.

"I missed the sport so much; it's been a long 10 months," Rodriguez said. "But I feel like the time away definitely made me into a different person. It's definitely brought the love for the sport again for me."

Rodriguez improved to 13-4 with the victory, while Amil dropped to 11-3. The featherweight told reporters he plans to stay active after the extended layoff.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Christian Rodriguez credits late coach for spectacular finish at UFC Vegas 119