MMA Knockout

Who is Lazy Boy? UFC Mexico star nearly quadrupled followers pre-fight

UFC Mexico's Ronaldo Rodriguez realized how famous he was when police pulled him over.

Christopher De Santiago

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Ronaldo Rodriguez was by far the biggest star to come out of the Sphere last year.

The 25-year-old UFC flyweight from Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico returns to fight in Mexico City once again, making his third walk to the Octagon on Saturday. Rodriguez AKA "Lazy Boy" is taking on Peru's Kevin Borjas on the Fight Night main card headlined by countryman Brandon Moreno.

In an interesting statistic, Ronaldo Rodriguez is the second-most followed Mexican fighter on the UFC roster with over 2M followers before his upcoming fight. The first? Former champ Moreno at 2.2M, who has 15 more fights than his fellow flyweight.

Lazy Boy could very well surpass Moreno at UFC Mexico this weekend, given the boost he had his last time out.

READ MORE: UFC Mexico star says 'Never Back Down' got him into MMA: 'That's what I need...'

UFC's Ronaldo Lazy Boy Rodrigue
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Lazy Boy Became One Of The Most Followed Fighters At Noche UFC

The Contender Series alumni had half a million followers before his second fight with Ode Osbourne which went down at UFC 306 from the Sphere, a special one-off event.

During fight week, Rodriguez stole the show early on at the UFC 306 press conference, cursing at his opponent in Spanish throughout. Rodriguez earned over 15,000 fans from the viral presser exchanges alone, according to MMA Gains.

With a fun personality and an even better fight against Osbourne from the Sphere (one he nearly lost), Rodriguez essentially quadrupled his Instagram followers in the time since.

His Mexican heart was on full display after surviving a knockdown and escaping the tightest submission attempt UFC commentator Daniel Cormier has ever seen.

Rodriguez pulled off a stellar comeback in rounds 2 and 3 to snag the unanimous decision victory, earning 327,000 new fans in less than 4 days.

Just How Famous Is Ronaldo Rodriguez?

As of this writing, Ronaldo Rodriguez is 17-2 as a pro with seven knockouts, five submissions and one dream of becoming UFC champion.

The fans can't seem to get enough of the flyweight prospect, his recent interview and podcast appearances pulling in hundreds of thousands of views, 1.7M on YouTube with UFC media personality Nina-Marie Daniele and 3.5M with Franco Escamilla around his last fight.

A reminder: Rodriguez is just two fights into his UFC career.

The fighter from Veracruz didn't realize how famous he actually was until Mexican police pulled him over...

"I was driving one time and I remember that my car didn't work properly, it wouldn't accelerate right. So, I was speeding and then I heard the police sirens, 'pull over...'" Rodriguez said on The Shorty Show.

"One officer got out and explained why he pulled me over, asking me to show him my license. At the time, we had some stuff in the car that they'd arrest us for...

"I was like damn, at this point, I gotta give him money..." Rodriguez initially thought. "Then, his partner gets out of the car and says, 'Hey dude, you know who that is?' And he said no. 'That's Lazy Boy!' Don't do some b*******."

Rodriguez says the officer who recognized let him go.

"'Sir, I'm going to let you go but all you have to do is one favor'," Rodriguez recalled of what the officer told him. "I was like, what's this dude gonna ask me? 'To go free, you gotta punch my idiot partner for not knowing who you are...'"

READ MORE: Flyweight banger rebooked for UFC 316 as one fighter seeks fourth-straight win

Before he knew it, Ronaldo Rodriguez was on the road again, a little more famous than he was yesterday.

Rodriguez comes from a karate background with a decent ground game. He hopes to one day fight for the championship, bringing a better future for his family and his mother who raised him.

More MMA Knockout News


Stick with MMA Knockout for more FREE coverage of the UFC, MMA, Boxing.

Follow MMA Knockout on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Published |Modified
Christopher De Santiago
CHRISTOPHER DE SANTIAGO

Christopher De Santiago is a 23-year-old journalist from Gainesville, Texas with years of experience covering MMA. He is the founder of MMA Island and started working for MMA Knockout in February, 2024. Inquiries: chrisdesantiago17@gmail.com

Home/News