Show Me The Money: Episode 35
Episode 35 of the Show Me the Money Podcast, hosted by Matty Betss, brought fans a deep dive into the UFC careers of Vicente “The Silent Assassin” Luque and Gregory “Robocop” Rodrigues. The fighters discussed recent victories, mental growth, and exciting upcoming bouts.
Luque, fresh off an electrifying first-round submission victory, shared the driving mindset behind his performances. “The Anaconda choke is my favorite because it’s so effective once locked in,” he said, adding that training with Rodrigues pushed him to the best of his ability heading into his fight at UFC 310. The dynamic duo joins Show Me The Money for a unique episode giving a dual perspective into the life of a fighter so close to the date of competition.
News of the Week
- Vicente Luque Eyes Jorge Masvidal
Fresh off of a massive victory over Themba Gorimbo this past weekend, Vicente Luque has no plans to slow down as he eyes a return to the Octagon in April, hopefully in Miami with an opponent already in mind. Recently announcing his plans to return to the UFC, Jorge Masvidal is looking for an opponent and Luque could be the perfect candidate. Both top-ranked welterweight contenders, Kill Cliff vs ATT rivalry, this sets up to be a perfect legacy fight that also holds weight towards title contention.
“I heard Masvidal wants an opponent,” says Luque. “I think that would be an amazing fight, me and him. That’s the recipe for a battle. I wanna get a big finish over a guy like that.”
- Gregory Rodrigues vs Jared Cannonier
While Luque comes off a big win, Gregory Rodrigues searches for his next. Announcing on the podcast, Rodrigues will be fighting in his first ever UFC main event as he takes on Jared Cannonier at a UFC Apex Fight Night on February 15th in a 5-round middle weight bout!
While Cannonier has dropped two in a row, he remains one of the most dangerous strikers in the UFC. One Cannonier punch can put just about anyone out cold. Rodrigues may not have the same high level experience that Cannonier does, but he rides a big three fight winning streak and momentum goes a long way in MMA. It will be very interesting to see if Rodrigues can past the tough test of Cannonier. The winner of this fight will certainly be right back in the very busy middleweight title picture.

Stephen R. Sylvanie/Imagn Images
- UFC 310 Recap
Vicente Luque recapped his dominant performance against Themba Gorimbo at UFC 310, securing a swift victory with a first-round submission. The fight ended when Luque dropped Gorimbo with a right hand just seconds into the match. He then quickly transitioned to an Anaconda choke, putting Gorimbo to sleep in just 52 seconds, marking the fastest finish in Luque’s entire career.
Luque and Rodrigues give their thoughts on the rest of UFC 310 too. Like many, both were highly impressed with Ian Garry’s performance against Shavkat Rakhmonov. Luque has trained with both men before, so his insight into the fight was unique and he believes great things are in store for both athletes.
Neither fighter sees Alexandre Pantoja losing anytime soon. They believe his dominance will set the precedent of the flyweight division for a ling time to come. Interestingly, both Rodrigues and Luque can relate to Pantoja in finding a ‘reason to fight’. Finding proper motivation is extremely necessary in maintaining a successful career, and believing that Pantoja has found that stride, neither fighter is sure anything can stop his title reign.
Betting Archives
- Belal Muhammad vs Shavkat Rakhmonov
After his unanimous decision victory at UFC 310, Rakhmonov got a chance to face-off against the current UFC welterweight champion, Belal Muhammad. Seemingly the next fight for the WW title, fans enjoyed a first look at the two sizing each other up. It was a respectful face-off with not much animosity shown between either fighter. This fight will be an all time great and is easily one of the highest level title fights the UFC has seen in a long time.
With Muhammad coming in as big as a +200 underdog on some sports books, Luque and Rodrigues believe that doubting him again would be foolish. They believe he is too well-rounded for Rakhmonov to be able to de-throne him. They certainly acknowledge the dangers, but it seems ever fellow fighters are getting tired of all the hate and doubt Muhammad has received on his current 10-fight winning streak.
- Colby Covington vs Joaquin Buckley
Colby Covington vs Joaquin Buckley goes down this weekend at UFC Tampa! Having fought Buckley before, Luque has the perfect insider take on who will win the fight in Tampa. Rodrigues and Luque are both picking the “younger” and “hungrier” fighter in Buckley to defeat Covington. While both Rodrigues and Luque are taking Buckely to win, Luque is fairly confident that Buckley will be able to find a finish within a 5-round fight.
Rodrigues can relate to Buckley as they each have their first UFC main event coming up. Rodrigues says the motivation he has due to the spotlight he is about to be in has lit an entirely new fire underneath of him. Imagining the similar state has done the same for Buckley’s motivation, Rodrigues doesn’t believe Covington will be able to keep up with the young buck.
Show Me The Funny
- Opponents Pictures as Motivation
Many fighters can’t stand to look at their opponents before their upcoming fights. Rodrigues and Luque on the other hand are quite the opposite. Luque was caught having a picture of his opponent Themba Gorimbo saved as his home screen on his phone during fight week. Meanwhile, Rodrigues admits on the podcast that he used to actually go through the trouble of printing out pictures of his opponents to hang all over his house in the lead up to his fights.
“It’s simple,” laughs Rodrigues. “Just put them on your phone. You look at them every day. Oh, I never thought about that!
A strange tactic, but considering Luque got a first round finish, maybe it’s just so bold a move that it was the secret to success after all. Even though he was a willing participant, it’s clear that Luque is relieved he no longer has to look at Gorimbo every time he goes to use his phone.
“I’m gonna look at this for over a month until I get the job done,” says Luque. “I was glad. Saturday night I got to take that off of my phone after the fight.”

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 07: Vicente Luque poses in his fresh McLaren after UFC 310 at T-Mobile Arena on December 07, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jake Noecker/Home of Fight)
- Driving a McLaren After UFC 310
Both Luque and Rodrigues rode in style after Luque’s big win at UFC 310. Being gifted a McLaren to ride around in for the night was certainly a high point of the weekend for the pair as the laugh about speeding down the Las Vegas strip.
I was lucky enough to run into Luque and Rodrigues that night while Luque was getting into his McLaren. I can certainly confirm the UFC stars were enjoying themselves (picture above) after the massive victory.
“These guys, they really trusted us,” Luque explains as he holds back laughter. “They just like, put the McLaren in our hands and said to take it for a spin. It’s the victory spin.”
Quote of the Show
“You saved our day from Gilbert and Moicano not showing up.” -Matty Betss
As Rodrigues gears up for his Cannonier showdown, fans can look forward to more insights and exclusive updates from Show Me the Money.