UFC fighter Michelle Waterson-Gomez was devastated after her fight against Marina Rodriguez was stopped, expressing to teammate Rashad Evans that she had not wanted the fight to end, despite absorbing significant damage throughout the match.
Michelle Waterson-Gomez was engulfed by a flood of emotion when her fight against Marina Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 79 was stopped by the referee, causing her to break down in tears. With no controversy over the stoppage, Waterson-Gomez had received significant damage during the fight including several facial cuts and a relentless battering of punches, elbows and knees from Rodriguez. Despite this onslaught, a frustrated Waterson-Gomez expressed disappointment that she wasn’t able to continue.
Post-fight, Waterson-Gomez tearfully embraced Rashad Evans, a UFC Hall of Famer, and a long-time teammate from the times both fighters had trained under head coach Greg Jackson at his New Mexico gym. Evans, who was an analyst for the UFC Vegas 79 broadcast, later shared what Waterson-Gomez had to say to him as she left the octagon. “It was tough,” Evans admitted during the post-fight show. He revealed that Waterson-Gomez had said, “I didn’t want him to stop it. I wanted to come back. I wanted to come back and I know I could come back.”
Evans empathized with Waterson-Gomez, even though it was clear that the stoppage was undebatable considering how Rodriguez had fiercely dominated her for most of the two rounds. There were several instances in the first round itself where it looked like Rodriguez would be crowned victor, but a determined Waterson-Gomez bravely withstood the assault. However, in the end, she couldn’t resist the barrage. “I’ve known Michelle for the longest time,” said Evans nostalgically, alluding to their shared past at Jackson’s gym. “We go back to the when she was named ‘Peanut.’ It was hard for me to see her in that moment because I know what it’s like to want to keep going, but you just can’t.”
As revealed by UFC statistics, Rodriguez outclassed Waterson-Gomez with 90 to 16 in total strikes, a dramatic margin. Waterson-Gomez sustained several cuts, leading to blood streaming down her face – a testament to the brutal force Rodriguez used during the fight. The tough loss sent Waterson-Gomez’s record spiraling down to only one win in her last seven UFC appearances, marking her fourth consecutive loss overall.