| Nick Rodriguez | |
| Birth Name: | Nicholas Pete Rodriguez |
| Other Names: | Nicky Rod The Black Belt Slayer |
| Birth Date: | 30 August 1996 |
| Birth Place: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Residence: | Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in |
| Weight: | 220 lb |
| Relatives: | Jay Rodriguez (brother) |
| Team: | B Team Jiu Jitsu |
| Rank: | [1] |
| Wrestling: | NCAA Division III wrestling |
Nicholas Pete Rodriguez (born August 30, 1996)[2] is an American professional submission grappler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt, commonly known as Nicky Rod.
A former amateur wrestler, Rodriguez won in 2018 the ADCC West Coast Trials to qualify for the 2019 ADCC Submission Fighting World Championships, where he won silver, while still a BJJ blue belt.[3] He won silver again at the 2022 ADCC World.[4]
Nicholas Pete Rodriguez was born on August 30, 1996 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,[5] raised in Clayton, New Jersey, and attended Clayton High School.[6] Rodriguez began wrestling in sixth grade.[7]
Rodriguez was a wrestler in high school. He qualified for the NJSIAA championships as a senior but did not place.[8]
After high school, Rodriguez attended Ferrum College, that has an NCAA Division III wrestling program. In between his last match as a high school wrestler and his first match as a collegiate wrestler, he gained 50 pounds, going from 170 to 220 pounds. Rodriguez attended college for one year, during which he placed fourth at the East Regionals and had a record of 23 wins and 4 losses.[9] After college, he decided to pursue a modeling career with Wilhelmina Models.[10]
Rodriguez returned to wrestling on October 5, 2019, when he faced that year's USA Wrestling World Team Member Pat Downey in a super-fight under freestyle rules at Who's Number One.[11] He lost the match by technical fall.[12]
In 2018, Rodriguez was persuaded by a friend to attend his first jiu-jitsu class to stay fit. After two weeks of training, he attended his first submission wrestling competition and went on to win the advanced 230 pounds and absolute brackets.[13] [14] A few months later, he moved to Renzo Gracie Academy with coach John Danaher, who awarded him his blue belt later on.
After a failed attempt to qualify for the ADCCs, Rodriguez competed at the IBJJF World Championship in the blue belt division. He defeated all three of his opponents to win the championship.[15]
As a blue belt, Rodriguez qualified for the 2019 ADCC World Championships after winning the North American trials.[16] He defeated three notable jiu-jitsu black belts in Mahamed Aly, Orlando Sanchez, and Cyborg Abreu to make it to the finals,[17] where he lost to black belt IBJJF World Champion Kaynan Duarte on points, earning him 2nd place in the tournament.[18] He was promoted to purple belt on the ADCC podium by his coach Jay Regalbuto. Rodriguez became known by the nickname "Black Belt Slayer".[19]
He competed against Duarte in a rematch at Fight 2 Win, which he lost.[20] He also competed at the BJJ Fanatics Grand Prix.[21]
After his bronze medal finish at the KASAI Pro 7,[22] Rodriguez was scheduled to face 2019 US World Team Member Pat Downey at Third Coast Grappling IV in a special ruleset match on March 14.[23] However, the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[24]
He then competed at Third Coast Grappling: Kumite IV on July 11. He was eliminated in the first round.[25]
In December, 2020, Rodriguez moved to Puerto Rico with the rest of his teammates to continue training under John Danaher.[26]
Rodriguez competed against Yuri Simões in the co-main event of Who's Number One on March 26, 2021.[27] Rodriguez won the match by decision.[28] He was then invited to compete in an absolute grand prix at Third Coast Grappling 6 on April 3, 2021.[29] Rodriguez defeated Pedro Marinho by decision in the opening round before losing a decision to Victor Hugo in the semi-final.[30] In July, news broke that the Danaher Death Squad were splitting up.[31] Rodriguez elected to continue training with Craig Jones, Ethan Crelinsten, and Nicky Ryan.[32] The four grapplers opened up a new gym in Austin, Texas under the name B Team Jiu Jitsu in August, 2021.[33] Shortly afterward, Rodriguez was invited to compete at the 2022 ADCC World Championship.[34] On December 30, 2021, Rodriguez competed against UFC veteran Steve Mowry at Fury Pro Grappling 3 and submitted him with a rear-naked choke at 5:30.[35]
Rodriguez faced Elder Cruz at Who's Number One: Jones v Marinho on January 21, 2022, and lost the match by split decision.[36] Shortly after this, Rodriguez was promoted to brown belt in BJJ.[37] Rodriguez competed in the over 99kg division of ADCC 2022, defeating Damon Ramos on points and submitting John Hansen with a rear-naked choke on the first day. On the second day he defeated Felipe Pena on points in the semi-final, but was submitted by Gordon Ryan in the final and came away with a silver medal.[38] He was then invited to compete at EBI 20: The Absolutes on October 23, 2021.[39] Rodriguez won the tournament by defeating Ezeqiual Zurita, Luke Griffith, Austin Baker, and Kyle Boehm in one night.[40] On December 15, 2022, Rodriguez was scheduled to compete in another absolute tournament at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 3.[41] However, Vinny Magalhães withdrew from the main event match against Gordon Ryan and Rodriguez agreed to step in to replace him instead.[42] Neither man could finish the fight in regulation time and the match went to EBI overtime, where Gordon Ryan won by fastest escape time.[43] Ryan would accuse Rodriguez of 'greasing' during their match. Rodriguez denied that accusation on an episode Mark Bell's Power Project Podcast in February 2023.[44]
Rodriguez stepped in on two days' notice to replace Gordon Ryan against Felipe Pena in the main event of Who's Number One on February 25, 2023.[45] He lost the match by unanimous decision.[46] Rodriguez was then invited to compete in an openweight tournament at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 4 on June 29, 2023.[47] He defeated Roberto Jimenez, Vagner Rocha, and Dan Manasoiu to win the tournament.[48] Rodriguez then competed at Quintet 4 on September 10, 2023 as part of The B-Team Bulls.[49] Rodriguez drew both of his matches but his team won the tournament.[50] Rodriguez was scheduled to compete against 3 competitors: Jake Lowry, Cody Gamble, and Zack Humbertson, in a series of matches at Sprawl in the Burgh 2 on October 20, 2023.[51] He won all three. Rodriguez then competed against Yuri Simões at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5 on December 10, 2023.[52] He won the match on points.[53]
Rodriguez competed against Victor Hugo in the main event of Who's Number One 22 on February 9, 2024.[54] He lost the match by decision.[55] Rodriguez competed against Roberto Jimenez in the co-main event of UFC Fight Pass Invitational 6 on March 3, 2024.[56] He won the match on points.[57] Rodriguez competed against Mason Fowler in the main event of UFC Fight Pass Invitational 7 on May 15, 2024.[58] He won the match on points.[59] Rodriguez was invited to compete in the over 99kg division of the 2024 ADCC World Championship on August 17-18, 2024.[60] However, he later withdrew from the event in order to compete in the over 80kg division of the Craig Jones Invitational on August 16-17, 2024 instead.[61] Rodriguez submitted Max Gimenis, Owen Livesey, Adam Bradley, and Fellipe Andrew to win the tournament.[62]
On April 24, 2023, Rodriguez revealed that he had attended a tryout for WWE, an American professional wrestling promotion. While it was initially reported that he been accepted to the promotion along with several other athletes who attended the tryout,[63] WWE ultimately passed on signing Rodriguez.
Rodriguez's younger brother Jacob, known as Jay or J-Rod, is a B Team Jiu Jitsu competitor.[64] A former two-time state and regional champion in wrestling, he won the 2022 ADCC North American West Coast Trials in the -88kg division.[65] [66]
Main Achievements[3]
Main Achievements (Colored Belts)[3]
| -- width:100%; --> | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 Matches, 37 Wins (17 Submissions), 7 Losses (1 Submission), 2 Draws | |||||||||
| Result | Rec. | Opponent | Method | Event | Division | Type | Year | Location | |
| style=background:white colspan=7 | |||||||||
| Loss | 37–7–2 |  Victor Hugo | Referee Decision | 2021 Third Coast Grappling VI Grand Prix | +99 kg | Nogi | April 4, 2021 |  Houston, TX | |
| Win | 37–6–2 | Pedro Marinho | Referee Decision | ||||||
| Win | 36–6–2 | Referee Decision | 2021 Who's Number One | +99 kg | Nogi | March 26, 2021 | Austin, TX | ||
| Loss | 35–6–2 | Referee Decision | 2020 Third Coast Grappling: Kumite IV | +99 kg | Nogi | July 11, 2020 | Houston, TX | ||
| style=background:white colspan=7 | |||||||||
| Win | 35–5–2 | Kyle Boehm | Points (5–0) | 2020 KASAI Pro 7 | +99 kg | Nogi | February 1, 2020 | Dallas, TX | |
| Win | 34–5–2 | Bruno Bastos | Submission (heel hook) | ||||||
| Draw | 33–5–2 | Draw | |||||||
| Draw | 33–5–1 | Draw | |||||||
| Loss | 33–5 | Victor Hugo | Referee Decision | Fight 2 Win 135 | +99 kg | Nogi | January 18, 2020 | California, CA | |
| Win | 33–4 | Referee Decision | Polaris 12 | 104.3 kg | Nogi | November 30, 2019 | Newport, WA | ||
| style=background:white colspan=7 | |||||||||
| Loss | 32–4 | Overtime (riding time) | 2019 BJJ Fanatics Submission Only Grand Prix | +99 kg | Nogi | November 15, 2019 | Beverly, MA | ||
| Win | 32–3 | Victor Silverio | Overtime (rear–naked choke) | ||||||
| Loss | 31–3 | Kaynan Duarte | Submission (heel hook) | Fight 2 Win 128 | +99 kg | Nogi | October 19, 2019 | Philadelphia, PA | |
| style=background:white colspan=7 | |||||||||
| Loss | 31–2 | Kaynan Duarte | Points (0–3) | 2019 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships | +99 kg | Nogi | September 29, 2019 | Anaheim, CA | |
| Win | 31–1 | Referee Decision | |||||||
| Win | 30–1 | Referee Decision | |||||||
| Win | 29–1 | Mahamed Aly | Referee Decision | ||||||
| Win | 28–1 | Jason Reyes | Points (15–0) | 2019 JitzKing Tampa | +99 kg | Nogi | July 6, 2019 | Tampa, FL | |
| Win | 27–1 | Quentin Rosenzweig | Submission (rear–naked choke) | Sub Stars: Nicky Rod Challenge | Absolute | Nogi | June 19, 2019 | Miami, FL | |
| Win | 26–1 | Ashley Amos | Submission (rear–naked choke) | +105 kg | Nogi | May 25, 2019 | Poole, UK | ||
| Win | 25–1 | Walker Madden | Referee Decision | Fight 2 Win 108 | 240 lbs | Nogi | April 12, 2019 | Philadelphia, PA | |
| Win | 24–1 | Tyler King | Referee Decision | Fight 2 Win 107 | 240 lbs | Nogi | April 5, 2019 | Tyngsborough, MA | |
| style=background:white colspan=7 | |||||||||
| Win | 23–1 | Caleb Crump | Submission | High Rollerz Open: Pittsburgh | Absolute | Nogi (blue) | March 30, 2019 | Cheswick, PA | |
| Win | 22–1 | Jeric Fry | Submission | ||||||
| Win | 21–1 | Brandon Moran | Disqualification | ||||||
| Win | 20–1 | Joshua Lorton | Submission | ||||||
| style=background:white colspan=7 | |||||||||
| Win | 19–1 | John Hansen | Submission (rear–naked choke) | 2019 ADCC North American Trials | +99 kg | Nogi | February 9, 2019 | Burbank, CA | |
| Win | 18–1 | Casey Hellenberg | Points (6–0) | ||||||
| Win | 17–1 | James Friedrich | Submission | ||||||
| Win | 16–1 | Fernando Iraheta | Submission (kimura) | ||||||
| Win | 15–1 | Michael Egley | Points (2–0) | ||||||
| style=background:white colspan=7 | |||||||||
| Win | 14–1 | Jureall Simmons | Submission (kimura) | 2018 World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship | +97 kg | Nogi (blue) | December 14, 2018 | Anaheim, CA | |
| Win | 13–1 | Erick Hastings | Submission (armbar) | ||||||
| Win | 12–1 | William Matheus | Submission (arm–triangle choke) | ||||||
| style=background:white colspan=7 | |||||||||
| Win | 11–1 | Andrew Tevay | Points (2–0) | 2018 ADCC North American Trials | +99 kg | Nogi | November 3, 2018 | Bayville, NJ | |
| Loss | 10–1 | Hudson Taylor | Points (0–5) | ||||||
| Win | 10–0 | Billy Brown | Submission (rear–naked choke) | ||||||
| Win | 9–0 | Dylan Rankin | Submission (kimura) | ||||||
| Win | 8–0 | Dylan Rankin | Submission (kimura) | 2018 RISE Submission Invitational 5 | 215 lbs | Nogi | September 29, 2018 | Long Island, NY | |
| style=background:white colspan=7 | |||||||||
| Win | 7–0 | Joe Baik | Points (12–0) | Grappling Industries: Wildwood | Absolute | Nogi | June 2, 2018 | Wildwood, NJ | |
| Win | 6–0 | Steven Tongur | Points (9–0) | ||||||
| Win | 5–0 |  Gal Telem Goudsmit | Submission | ||||||
| Win | 4–0 | Nick Van Wattingen | Submission | +99 kg | |||||
| Win | 3–0 | Peter Mattoccia | Points (16–0) | ||||||
| Win | 2–0 | Chris Baldino | Submission | ||||||
| Win | 1–0 | Eric Silverman | Points (2–0) | ||||||