Imanol Rodriguez eyes Joshua Van: ‘First, I’ll go for his friend’

Rodriguez (7-0) will face off. Alden Coria
(13-3) Oct. 3 in preliminaries UFC 332 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Invincible
Dana White Candidate Series graduate is looking to crack the top 15 at 125 pounds by the end of 2026 and is targeting a ranked opponent this year.

Imanol Rodriguez plans to go after Joshua Van after facing Alden Coria at UFC 332

In a pre-fight interview ahead of UFC 332, Rodriguez expressed his desire to face a ranked opponent if he defeats Coria. The 26-year-old is looking to return to the Octagon in December and is aiming for a “clean” performance on Saturday that would see him complete a two-month turnaround.

“I have a plan for this year and that is to fight again in December,” Rodriguez said. “It’s a win that has to be clean. And I want to challenge some people in the rankings and see somebody in the rankings that I can fight.”

Rodriguez has also set his sights on the flyweight champion Joshua VanCoria’s teammate.

“I think Joshua Van is in Alden Coria’s corner, so I think he’ll see that if we cross paths, he’s going to have a tough fighter, a tough challenge,” Rodriguez added. “I’ll go to his friend first and then to him.”

Rodriguez has all seven of his professional victories, including six by knockout and one by submission, and is 1-0 in the UFC. Coria, meanwhile, is 3-0 in the UFC and riding a seven-fight unbeaten streak.