WATCH: Barack Obama lookalike fighter becomes ‘Robocop’ instantly in round 3 to earn knockout victory

Gregory Rodrigues takes out Brad Tavares in the third round with an electrifying standing knockout after losing the second round.

WATCH: Barack Obama lookalike fighter becomes ‘Robocop’ instantly in round 3 to earn knockout victory

Gregory Rodrigues defeats Brad Tavares in the third round by an exciting standing knockout (via X/CNBC)

Gregory Rodrigues goes by the nickname “Robocop.” He looks like a younger version of former US President Barack Obama. Rodriguez earned an impressive knockout victory at UFC Vegas 86 on Saturday night. He was matched up against veteran middleweight Brad Tavares. Tavares had recently wished to fight against Jack Hermansson, who is headlining this card.

The fight started fast, with Rodrigues aggressively marching forward and backing Tavares against the fence. He landed hard shots to the head and body in the opening round. Tavares hurt Rodrigues, who stumbled but kept his composure. Brad Tavares tried to counter, but Rodrigues kept up the pressure. In the second round, Tavares had more success. He took the center of the octagon and prevented Rodrigues from bullying him. Rodrigues caught a kick and took Tavares down late in the round, and both the fighters went to the canvas. Rodrigues has a good BJJ background.

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At the start of the third round, Gregory Rodrigues exploded forward with furious punches. Tavares could not handle the onslaught and was knocked out on his feet. The referee jumped in to stop the fight just 26 seconds into the third round. It was a dominant performance from Rodrigues. His aggressive style and power punches overwhelmed Tavares. After losing some momentum in the second, Rodrigues roared back in the third with fight-ending blows.

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The explosive finish lived up to Rodrigues’ “Robocop” nickname. He became a ruthless terminator in the third round. With this statement win, Rodrigues continues his rise up the middleweight ranks. He called for a top-10 opponent next. Moreover, the comparisons to former President Obama will likely never stop.

MMA fans react to Gregory Rodrigues’ brilliant knockout of Brad Tavares

MMA fans erupted with a flurry of reactions following the thrilling match at UFC Vegas 86.  Gregory Rodrigues made an electrifying statement and knocked out Tavares in the third round. The atmosphere on social media was charged with excitement and debate as fans shared their thoughts on the fight. Tavares has good takedown defense, but Gregory Rodrigues took him down multiple times.

Gregory Rodrigues accepts his resemblance to Barack Obama ahead of UFC Vegas 86
Gregory Rodrigues accepts his resemblance to Barack Obama ahead of UFC Vegas 86 (via UFC/Wikipedia)

There was a mix of admiration and skepticism among the flurry of comments. Some lauded Gregory Rodrigues’ dominant performance and applauded his ability to decisively finish the fight. Meanwhile, others criticized the referee’s decision and argued that the stoppage was premature. They questioned whether Tavares was truly knocked out. Here are some of the reactions from fight fans:

https://twitter.com/aet3rno/status/1756493414848225722

The reactions from fans showed the passion and diversity of opinions within the MMA community. Whether celebrating Robocop’s victory or critiquing the referee’s decision, fans continued to engage fervently in the aftermath of UFC Vegas 86.

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