LAS VEGAS — Julian “Hammer Hands” Rodriguez proved Friday night that experience still matters. Rodriguez (25-1, 15 KOs) delivered a punishing, mature performance to hand previously unbeaten Cain Sandoval his first professional loss, cruising to a unanimous decision victory on the inaugural Zuffa Boxing 1 card at UFC Apex.
Judges scored the 10-round welterweight contest 99-91, 99-91 and 98-92 wide margins that reflected Rodriguez’s consistent control from bell to bell.
Despite entering as a betting underdog, Julian Rodriguez looked like the sharper, more complete fighter throughout. According to CompuBox, Rodriguez outlanded Sandoval 229-186, repeatedly landing the cleaner and more damaging punches.
From the opening round, Rodriguez established his timing and speed, immediately halting Sandoval’s forward momentum with a crisp uppercut. While Sandoval pressed relentlessly particularly in the early rounds it was Rodriguez who did the more effective work, even while fighting off his back foot.
Sandoval marched Rodriguez into the corners in rounds two and three, but the New Jersey native calmly pivoted out, answering pressure with tight combinations and thudding body shots.
“I won the fight clean, but he’s a f—— dog, man,” Rodriguez said afterward. “He made adjustments and put more pressure, and I had to adjust.”
Midfight Adjustments Tell the Story
Rodriguez continued to rock Sandoval in the fourth, exploiting his opponent’s lack of head movement. Though Sandoval found some success in the fifth — his best stretch of the fight — the veteran steadied himself and responded emphatically.
By the midway point, Rodriguez held a 107-86 edge in landed punches, even as his face began to show wear.
The turning point came in rounds six and seven, where Rodriguez’s durability and composure shined. He absorbed Sandoval’s pressure and then answered with sustained violence, bludgeoning the Sacramento native with heavy power shots that sapped his momentum.
Sandoval’s eighth round was his strongest, but Rodriguez slammed the door shut over the final two rounds, punctuating the fight with a sharp two-punch combination just before the final bell.
Bigger Goals in Mind
“He’s tough, he had a giant f—— head,” Rodriguez joked. “I just had to stay calm. That’s where the mental toughness comes in. It takes fights like this to become a better fighter.”
Rodriguez closed his post-fight remarks with a clear message: he wants to be the first welterweight champion in Zuffa Boxing history.
Friday’s win marked Rodriguez’s fourth straight victory and further extended his resurgence following the lone loss of his career a 2021 stoppage defeat to Jose Pedraza.
For Sandoval (17-1, 15 KOs), the fight served as a harsh but valuable lesson in his 147-pound debut. For Rodriguez, it was a statement one that may echo loudly as Zuffa Boxing begins to build its championship picture.
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Robert LaMar is a writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
