Felipe Franco Stops Levi Rodrigues Jr. With Second-Round TKO in Oklahoma City

Franco’s stoppage answered questions about activity advantage while ending Rodrigues’s bid to restart his career after a nandrolone-metabolite suspension.

Overview

Felipe Franco defeated Levi Rodrigues Jr. by second-round TKO at UFC Oklahoma City, finishing the fight with strikes from full mount after earlier takedowns and control.
Rodrigues Jr. was making his official UFC octagon debut following a no-contest on Dana White’s Contender Series that was overturned after a positive test for a nandrolone metabolite and a subsequent suspension.
Franco entered the bout with recent UFC experience and a full training camp after forcing heavyweight Mario Pinto into 14 takedown attempts in his March debut, a performance he says made him a better fighter.
Rodrigues Jr. has publicly blamed medical injections given after a severe jiu-jitsu injury for the banned metabolite and has said he aims to win titles at light heavyweight, middleweight and heavyweight.
The result highlights the risks of a lengthy layoff following an anti-doping suspension and gives Franco his first UFC victory while raising questions about Rodrigues Jr.’s path forward in the promotion.