The UFC Des Moines prelims featured the retirement of one of the most decorated strawweights in the promotion’s history.
UFC Des Moines, headlined by a bantamweight matchup between Cory Sandhagen and Deiveson Figueiredo, featured plenty of notable moments. The prelims featured a wild come-from-behind win for one bantamweight’s first UFC victory, as Quang Le choked Gaston Bolanos unconscious for the first finish of the card.
Several veterans have dropped their gloves in the UFC Octagon so far in 2025, including Anthony Smith last weekend at UFC Kansas City. Two-time UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz announced his retirement earlier this year after suffering an injury ahead of his planned final fight at UFC Seattle.
At UFC Des Moines, one of the most accomplished strawweights in the promotion’s history decided to drop the gloves in the center of the Octagon after another defeat.
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Marina Rodriguez hangs up the gloves after brutal loss to Gillian Robertson
UFC strawweight Marina Rodriguez, who entered UFC Des Moines with losses in four of her previous five fights, fought against surging contender Gillian Robertson in a pivotal matchup for both fighters. Robertson entered UFC Des Moines as one of the division’s hottest contenders with three-straight wins.
A back-and-forth first round between Rodriguez and Robertson was followed up by Robertson attempting to ramp up the pace in Round 2. After dropping Rodriguez about a minute into the round, Robertson rained down a flurry of punches from back-control before the referee stepped in to stop the fight.
It was an impressive performance from Robertson as she continued her ascent up the division ladder.
As for Rodriguez, she was seen with her gloves off as the official result was read at UFC Des Moines. After Robertson made her callout and post-fight remarks, Rodriguez had her turn on the microphone, and she announced her retirement in front of an appreciative crowd in attendance.
Rodriguez retires after an accomplished tenure in the strawweight division that featured multiple main event bookings and wins over some of the division’s top stars. She defeated the likes of Yan Xiaonan, Mackenzie Dern, and Amanda Ribas before her recent struggles in the cage.
Gillian Robertson called out a former title challenger after UFC Des Moines
After handing Rodriguez her sendoff loss, Robertson called out former UFC title challenger Amanda Lemos for her next Octagon booking. Lemos recently got back in the win column with a unanimous decision win against Iasmin Lucindo at UFC 313.
Robertson’s up-and-down start in the UFC is firmly in the rear-view mirror after her recent performances. Entering UFC Des Moines, Robertson won three-straight matchups, including decisive wins over Luana Pinheiro and Michelle Waterson-Gomez.
Coincidentally, Rodriguez is the second fighter to retire after falling to Robertson over the latter’s last three fights. Waterson-Gomez announced her retirement at UFC 303 following a unanimous decision defeat to Robertson.
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