In the aftermath of his spectacular first-round knockout victory over Jack Hermansson at UFC 317, middleweight contender Gregory “Robocop” Rodrigues has responded firmly to critics who questioned his decision to land an additional hammer fist after Hermansson was clearly unconscious.
The Brazilian, who secured his eighth UFC win with the stunning left hook that sent Hermansson crashing to the canvas, made no apologies for his actions during the post-event interviews.
“I don’t care what the people think, man,” Rodrigues stated bluntly. “When you go inside the cage, we sign the contract, we’re able to do everything. Because if he wasn’t on the other side and he did the same, why are you going to be mad at him or something like that, man? He did his job.”
The controversy stemmed from the finishing sequence, where after landing a perfect left hook that immediately rendered Hermansson unconscious, Rodrigues followed up with an additional hammer fist before the referee could intervene. The Swedish fighter remained on the canvas for a concerning amount of time before finally sitting up to the relief of spectators.
While acknowledging his respect for Hermansson, Rodrigues maintained that his responsibility is to continue until officially stopped by the referee.
Oh my goodness!! Gregory Rodrigues puts Jack Hermansson to a deep sleep!
That last hammer fist was sooo unnecessary! #UFC317 pic.twitter.com/ubc5qUUVLT
— Ezee (@EzeemmaCraic) June 29, 2025
“I hope he’s okay. He’s a warrior like me,” Rodrigues said. “But like you said, man, I’m not going to stop until the ref says he’s stopped, right? So, yeah, I just did my job, and I’m going to keep doing that. That’s what I do. That’s what he does. And it is what it is.”
Rodrigues also revealed a pre-event conversation with Vicente Luque, sharing his mindset entering high-stakes competition: “I was talking with Vicente before the event. I said, man, if this guy beat me in that match, I will, you know, clap for him because he did an amazing job, because I’m ready for it. You know, and I need to be able, willing to lose, to get a knockout. Break my arm, whatever, right?”
The victory puts “Robocop” back in the win column after his previous setback against Jared Cannonier. During his post-event interview in the octagon, Rodrigues enthusiastically proclaimed, “I’m in here to take this over,” describing himself as a “guy that takes on a challenge,” though he stopped short of calling out any specific opponent for his next appearance.
