Daniel Rodriguez violently folded opponent with multiple-hit combo at UFC Des Moines

Daniel Rodriguez is finding a second wind in his UFC career.

It wasn’t long ago the UFC slugger was on a 7-1 run in the UFC welterweight division. Rodriguez picked up impressive wins over stars Mike Perry and Kevin Lee before losing to some of the bigger names at 170lbs like Ian Machado Garry.

Daniel Rodriguez returned to the win column with a decision effort over Alex Morono before one-upping that performance at UFC Des Moines on Saturday.

On the main card, Rodriguez would collide with 19-fight UFC veteran Santiago Ponzinibbio in an all-action welterweight battle.

Ponzinibbio, a former top-10 contender, was coming off a TKO win earlier this year, having his momentum crushed by Rodriguez.

READ MORE: Jeremy Stephens matches unwanted record with loss at UFC Des Moines

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLCDaniel Rodriguez laid out Santiago Ponzinibbio with clean comboRodriguez nearly stopped Ponzinibbio late in the opening round after he had found his opponent’s timing and chin, sparking him with punches.

Putting his foot on the gas pedal, Rodriguez chased the finish but to no avail. Ponzinibbio stayed for the most part upright, surviving an offensive onslaught.

Round 3 would be a completely different story.

After a back-and-forth round 2, Rodriguez landed at will on Ponzibbio, putting together a multiple-hit combo with a left hook to send Ponzibbio backwards to the canvas.

Ponzinibbio landed a follow-up shot for good measure on the ground before the referee stopped the contest. The Argentinian immediately protested the stoppage, struggling to stay on his feet once he got up.

Santiago Ponzinibbio calls out Jake Matthews and announces start of rap careerApparently, the knockout of perennial contender Ponzinibbio wasn’t the only highlight of Rodriguez’s night.

Making the walk for his 13th UFC appearance, Los Angeles’ ‘D-Rod’ said in the post-fight interview he had written and produced his walkout song, teasing the start of something new.

“Stay tuned, I got a whole rap career coming,” Rodriguez said post-fight.

Following his fight, Rodriguez also had a name on his mind he’d like to scrap with next: Jake Matthews.

Rodriguez said Matthews had been talking trash, wanting to shut him up for good.