Daniel Rodriguez was praised by Dana White for performance against Kevin Lee, who said, “to come in and do what he did…is very impressive.”

Rodriguez took the Lee fight on short notice after Sean Brady fell out of the matchup. When Mike Perry turned down Lee, Rodriguez — the man who last defeated “Platinum” — was the one who stepped up to fight “The Motown Phenom” on short notice. Despite taking the fight against Lee on just two weeks’ notice, Rodriguez put on an absolutely phenomenal showing as he was able to nullify Lee’s wrestling and take home a unanimous decision win.

Speaking to reporters following the event, White was asked what he thought about the performance that “DRod” had. According to the big bossman, he was blown away by it.

White on Daniel Rodriguez: "I love guys like him. Absolute savage, takes that fight on two weeks notice against Kevin Lee… To come in and do what he did against Kevin is very impressive."

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) August 29, 2021

White on Daniel Rodriguez: “I love guys like him. Absolute savage, takes that fight on two weeks notice against Kevin Lee… To come in and do what he did against Kevin is very impressive.”

With the win over Lee, Rodriguez improved to an impressive 6-1 overall in the Octagon. Since joining the UFC in February 2020, Rodriguez has gone from a relative unknown into becoming one of the top welterweights in the UFC right now. Although he was not ranked heading into this fight, beating someone with a big name like Lee should be the type of victory that gets Rodriguez near the bottom end of the UFC welterweight top-15.

It will be interesting to see who the UFC matches up Rodriguez with next, but given the fact that he has become a personal favorite of White and is on a nice winning streak right now, it seems “DRod” should be in line to face someone with a number beside their name.

What do you think is next for Daniel Rodriguez after beating Kevin Lee at UFC Vegas 35?