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Nicky Rod Isn’t Slowing Down

Nicky Rodriguez May Have Cemented His Name And Bank Account With The Elites Of Combat Sports, But He Isn’t Satisfied Heading Into The Fight Pass Invitational 8.
By Walker Van Wey • Oct. 8, 2024

It takes a special kind of competitor to return to the mat just a handful of weeks after winning a $1 Million tournament. Leave it to FPI 8 main event red corner, Nicky “Nicky Rod” Rodriguez.
 

“One million bucks, 100 million bucks, I’ll always stay the exact same person,” Rodriguez said. “I’m hungry, I love competing and with competing comes the money to elevate my lifestyle and put my family in a better position. I’m the same guy, whether I’m rich or even richer.”

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A born and bred athlete, grappling is about more than just money for Rodriguez. He’s carved out a nice life for himself being able to do something most people have to stop in high school: head-to-head competition.

Rodriguez goes into every match with the same preparation and mindset. He doesn’t see an opponent like Michael Pixley as the shallow end of the pool, he sees a fast-rising opponent with a lot of wind at his back and an incredible stylistic opportunity.

“This opponent is a very talented guy,” Rodriguez explained. “He just submitted top black belt Nicholas Meregali in competition. He threw him to the mat, broke his arm and then choked him and forced him to quit. Pixley is truly talented, truly tested and I’m all about testing myself against the best guys.”

Rodriguez made a lot of noise in the grappling world with his Craig Jones Invitational run that saw him run through one of the toughest brackets in grappling history, and if it were up to him, those would be the norm in the sport. It’s not just the fans who enjoy watching the best go against the best; it’s athletes like Rodriguez, as well.

“For me, it’s pretty simple. I’m a prizefighter,” Rodriguez laughed. “If the UFC wants me to fight against a tough opponent for money I’m going to do it. It’s pretty simple to me. The whole ‘protecting your record’ thing, I don’t really focus on that. I just focus on being the best version of myself and enjoying the moment.”

With Gordon Ryan in semi-retirement, the sport is looking around to see who the next face of submission grappling will be, but according to Rodriguez, he’s known for years he’s the guy.

“I’ve felt like I was at the top of the sport for years,” Rodriguez said. “I’m confident I’m the very best grappler in the sport and I’ve felt like that for a very long time. It’s just now I’m able to help people recognize that.”

Can Rodriguez build off his recent success? He’s certainly training for it and is hoping Michael Pixley takes him into the deepest waters possible in the FIGHT PASS Invitational 8 main event!

“When I’m in the gym, I always put myself in the worst positions possible so I can build confidence and escape those positions and get to a more dominant position,” Rodriguez said. “In addition to that, when I compete, I understand what I’m best at, where I want to be and use that kind of outline to attack my opponent. I don’t like downtime. Every second I’m on the mat, I like to be applying pressure in some kind of way, looking to fatigue my opponent, force him into a bad position and then look to win in dominant fashion.”

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