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UFC fighter admits 'I don't care' following 2025's most horrific knockout

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Mathew Riddle | Last updated Jun 30, 2025 6:15 PM ET

Gregory Rodrigues has shunted fan criticism following his devastating knockout over Jack Hermansson at UFC 317.

'Robocop,' a well-respected, fan favorite fighter in the middleweight division, welcomed perennial contender Jack Hermansson back to the Octagon in the featured prelim fight.

It didn't end well for Hermansson, who ate a left hook that toppled him like a tree. Rodrigues then walked up to his lifeless body and landed a hammerfist from hell directly on his face. The Swedish fighter was out for minutes, and needed several health updates through the night.

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Gregory Rodrigues shuns responsibility for nasty UFC 317 knockout

Speaking to collective media after the fact, Rodrigues admitted 'I don't care what the people think,' placing blame on the referee, Herb Dean, for not intervening sooner.

Dean was caught taking a leisurely stroll in the Octagon as the knockout happened, giving him an extremely tight window of time to stop Hermansson from absorbing damage.

“First of all, I don’t care what the people think,” Rodrigues said. “When you go inside the cage, we signed the contract, we’re able to do everything. If it was on the other side, and he did the same, why am I going to be mad with him? He did his job. I hope he’s OK.

"He’s a warrior like me. But I’m not going to stop until the referee says to stop. I just did my job. That’s what I do. That’s what he does. It is what it is. It was my night.”[h/t MMA Junkie]