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Nick Rodriguez

“Nicky Rod”

Source: en.wikipedia.org

Nick Rodriguez reached an ADCC World Championship final as a blue belt, beating three black belts, less than two years after his first jiu-jitsu class.

Biography

Nick Rodriguez — Nicky Rod to almost everyone in grappling — started taking jiu-jitsu classes in 2018, alongside a modeling career, and reached the final of the ADCC World Championship less than two years later. Born Nicholas Pete Rodriguez on August 30, 1996, he competes for the United States, and the run that got him to that final earned him a nickname of his own: "The Black Belt Slayer." He grew up in Clayton, New Jersey, and started wrestling in sixth grade. As a senior at Clayton High School, he qualified for the NJSIAA state championships but did not place. He kept wrestling for one more year, at the NCAA Division III level for Ferrum College, where he added roughly fifty pounds to his frame — from about 170 to 220 pounds — between his last high school match and his first college one. He placed fourth at the East Regionals, then left college wrestling to pursue modeling with Wilhelmina Models. He had wrestled for years but had no jiu-jitsu experience when he started training under Jay Regalbuto at South Jersey BJJ. Regalbuto put him into competition within weeks, and he won two pro-level tournaments in his first two months without a loss. To get him ready for the ADCC trials, Regalbuto started taking him to other rooms to train, which led to a first private lesson with Gordon Ryan in October 2018 and, from there, twice-weekly trips to the Danaher Death Squad room in New York. About a month after he started training there — with roughly six months of jiu-jitsu behind him in total — he took bronze at the 2018 ADCC East Coast Trials. He then won the blue-belt division of the 2018 IBJJF World No-Gi Championship, beating all three of his opponents. The following year, he won the ADCC West Coast Trials, earning a direct berth into the ADCC World Championship. At the 2019 ADCC World Championship, in the division for competitors over 99 kilograms, Rodriguez — still a blue belt — beat black belts Mahamed Aly, Orlando Sanchez, and Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu to reach the final. He lost there on points to Kaynan Duarte and took silver; Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida finished third and Abreu fourth. On the podium, Regalbuto promoted him to purple belt. After that result, Rodriguez trained full-time with John Danaher, first in New York and then in Puerto Rico once the team relocated there. In July 2021, Danaher announced that the Danaher Death Squad would no longer train and compete as one team. The next month, Rodriguez announced his new team: the B-Team, based in Austin, Texas, and formed with three of his training partners from the squad, Craig Jones, Nicky Ryan, and Ethan Crelinsten. In his own account, on The Simple Man Podcast, the name was Craig Jones's idea — a joke about Jones's habit of finishing second — and Rodriguez wasn't sold on it at first; he had pushed alternatives like "American Submission Grappling." He has said the team's owners were himself, Jones, Ryan, and Crelinsten, along with one more business partner he didn't name. Early in 2022, after a loss to Elder Cruz, Rodriguez was promoted to brown belt, ahead of that year's ADCC World Championship. He reached the final again and lost it to Gordon Ryan, taking his second ADCC silver; Roosevelt Sousa finished third and Felipe Pena fourth. Later in 2022, Rodriguez and Ryan met again in a superfight at a UFC Fight Pass Invitational event; it went to EBI overtime, and Ryan won. On December 23, 2023, Rodriguez was promoted to black belt by Craig Jones, his B-Team co-founder, and announced it himself on Instagram, a little over five years after his first class. In August 2024, Rodriguez withdrew from that year's ADCC World Championship, held the same month, to compete at the first Craig Jones Invitational instead. He won the entire +80-kilogram bracket by submission, beating Max Gimenis, Owen Livesey, Adam Bradley, and Fellipe Andrew. In the semifinal, he took the first two rounds against Bradley on the scorecards, then climbed to mount; when Bradley gave up his back, Rodriguez finished him with his third straight rear-naked choke of the tournament. The tournament win was worth $1,000,000. A staph infection on his knee nearly kept Rodriguez out of Craig Jones Invitational 2, in 2025. It began about a week before the event, and when the team landed in Las Vegas, his coaches sent him straight to the hospital, where he spent six hours on IV antibiotics; by his own account, he couldn't walk that day. He recovered enough to compete and helped his team win, though he said the infection had hurt his cardio. Afterward, he said he had prayed for the strength to heal in time. During the event's broadcast, the team Rodriguez had co-founded four years earlier changed its name. Following Craig Jones's departure from the team and from competition, B-Team Jiu-Jitsu became Simple Man Martial Arts, with Rodriguez named alongside Nicky Ryan, Ethan Crelinsten, and Damien Anderson as the leaders carrying it forward. In 2026, Rodriguez made his UFC BJJ debut against Elder Cruz at UFC BJJ 6; the match ended in a draw. At UFC BJJ 9, he beat João Nicolite by rear-naked choke. Looking back on his career in April 2026, Rodriguez said that winning the trials and then taking silver at the World Championship on his first attempt, back in 2019, "changed my life forever." After the trials, he said, he had maybe thirty or forty thousand followers and was charging about $5,000 per event; once he placed second at the Worlds, "it was like it started multiplying."

Sources for this profile

  • Wikipedia, "Nick Rodriguez" (article), live version accessed 2026-09-22.(opens in a new tab)

    • Rodriguez's full birth name is Nicholas Pete Rodriguez, born August 30, 1996.

      Where in the source: Infobox: "Born Nicholas Pete Rodriguez, August 30, 1996"

      Accessed:

    • He is commonly known as "Nicky Rod" and also carries the earned nickname "The Black Belt Slayer."

      Where in the source: Infobox: "Other names — Nicky Rod / The Black Belt Slayer"

      Accessed:

    • Rodriguez is American and competes internationally representing the United States.

      Where in the source: Lead sentence "is an American professional submission grappler"; medal-record header "Representing United States"

      Accessed:

    • Rodriguez was raised in Clayton, New Jersey, and competes for the United States (North America).

      Where in the source: "Early life and education": "He was raised in Clayton, New Jersey"; medal record: "Representing United States"

      Accessed:

    • Rodriguez grew up in Clayton, New Jersey, began wrestling in sixth grade, and qualified for the NJSIAA state championships as a high school senior at Clayton High School, though he did not place.

      Where in the source: "Early life and education": "raised in Clayton, New Jersey... began wrestling in sixth grade"; "Amateur wrestling career": "qualified for the NJSIAA championships as a senior but did not place"

      Accessed:

    • After high school, Rodriguez wrestled one year of NCAA Division III wrestling at Ferrum College, gaining roughly 50 pounds (from about 170 to 220 lb) between his last high school match and his first college match, and placed fourth at the East Regionals. He then left wrestling to pursue modeling with Wilhelmina Models.

      Where in the source: "Collegiate career": "gained 50 pounds, going from 170 to 220 pounds... placed fourth at the East Regionals"; "decided to pursue a modeling career with Wilhelmina Models"

      Accessed:

    • As a blue belt, Rodriguez won the 2018 IBJJF World No-Gi Championship blue-belt division, defeating all three of his opponents.

      Where in the source: "He defeated all three of his opponents to win the championship" (2018 section)

      Accessed:

    • Rodriguez won the 2019 ADCC West Coast Trials to earn a direct berth into the 2019 ADCC World Championship.

      Where in the source: "Rodriguez qualified for the 2019 ADCC World Championships after winning the North American trials" (2019 section)

      Accessed:

    • Rodriguez was still a BJJ blue belt when he reached the 2019 ADCC final, having beaten black belts Mahamed Aly, Orlando Sanchez and Roberto 'Cyborg' Abreu; this run earned him the nickname 'The Black Belt Slayer' and a purple-belt promotion from Jay Regalbuto on the ADCC podium.

      Where in the source: "He defeated three notable jiu-jitsu black belts... where he lost to black belt IBJJF World Champion Kaynan Duarte on points... He was promoted to purple belt on the ADCC podium... Rodriguez became known by the nickname 'Black Belt Slayer'"

      Accessed:

    • Rodriguez was promoted to brown belt shortly after his January 2022 loss to Elder Cruz, ahead of the 2022 ADCC World Championship.

      Where in the source: "Rodriguez was then promoted to brown belt in BJJ" (2022 section)

      Accessed:

    • At the Craig Jones Invitational (August 16-17, 2024), Rodriguez won the entire +80 kg bracket by submission, defeating Max Gimenis, Owen Livesey, Adam Bradley and Fellipe Andrew, and withdrew from the concurrent 2024 ADCC World Championship to enter it instead.

      Where in the source: "Rodriguez submitted Max Gimenis, Owen Livesey, Adam Bradley, and Fellipe Andrew to win the tournament" (2024 section)

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Heroes, "Nick Rodriguez" (fighter profile), accessed 2026-09-22.(opens in a new tab)

    • After college wrestling, Rodriguez pursued a modeling career and added jiu-jitsu classes to his daily routine, starting in 2018 under instructor Jay Regalbuto at South Jersey BJJ.

      Where in the source: Biography, third paragraph (modeling career alongside his new jiu-jitsu classes): "a discipline he initiated in June 2018 with instructor Jay Regalbuto, at South Jersey BJJ"

      Accessed:

    • Conflicting accounts

      After only three weeks of training, Regalbuto put Rodriguez into competition; he won two pro-level tournaments in his first two months, undefeated.

      Where in the source: "launching Nicky into the competitive side of the sport after a mere 3 weeks of training... conquered two pro-level tournaments in two months while holding on to an undefeated record"

      Accessed:

    • To prepare for the ADCC trials, Regalbuto took Rodriguez to different training rooms, which led to a first private lesson with Gordon Ryan in October 2018 and, from there, twice-weekly visits to the Danaher Death Squad room in New York.

      Where in the source: "Rodriguez's first private lesson with Ryan took place in October 2018... Nick started visiting DDS in New York twice per week"

      Accessed:

    • Conflicting accounts

      About a month after starting at DDS, with roughly six months of total BJJ training, Rodriguez took bronze at the 2018 ADCC East Coast Trials and was promoted to blue belt by Regalbuto on the podium.

      Where in the source: "taking bronze in the tournament 1 month later, with about 6 months of training. Coach Jay promoted the Jersey native to blue belt while he stood on the podium"

      Accessed:

    • After the 2019 ADCC run, Rodriguez trained full-time with John Danaher, first in New York and then in Puerto Rico once the team relocated there.

      Where in the source: "Rodriguez started training full-time with coach John Danaher, both in New York and later in Puerto Rico, when the team relocated"

      Accessed:

    • In July 2021, John Danaher announced that the Danaher Death Squad would no longer operate as one training and competition team. In August 2021, Rodriguez announced a new team formed with three of his training partners from the squad, Nicky Ryan, Craig Jones and Ethan Crelinsten: the B-Team, based in Austin, Texas.

      Where in the source: Section "SPLIT FROM DANAHER DEATH SQUAD", paragraphs 1-2: "In July 2021, coach John Danaher announced the end of the Danaher Death Squad"; "in August 2021, Nicky announced his new team"

      Accessed:

    • Later in 2022, Rodriguez faced Gordon Ryan again in a superfight at a UFC Fight Pass Invitational event; the match went to EBI overtime and Ryan won.

      Where in the source: Fight-history table row: "Gordon Ryan L EBI/OT UFC FP Inv. ABS SPF 2022"

      Accessed:

    • Rodriguez's UFC BJJ debut, against Elder Cruz at UFC BJJ 6 in 2026, ended in a draw; later in 2026 he defeated João Nicolite by rear-naked choke at UFC BJJ 9.

      Where in the source: Fight-history table rows: "Elder Cruz D --- UFC BJJ 6 ABS SPF 2026"; "Joao Nicolite W RNC UFC BJJ 9 94KG SPF 2026"

      Accessed:

  • ADCC (adcombat.com), official results page, "ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship 2019," accessed 2026-09-22.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2019 ADCC World Championship (+99 kg), Rodriguez placed 2nd (silver) behind champion Kaynan Duarte; Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida placed 3rd and Roberto Abreu 4th.

      Where in the source: "MALE +99KG: Kaynan Duarte / Nick Rodriguez / Marcus Buchecha Almeida / Roberto Abreu"

      Accessed:

  • BJJEE, "Nick Rodriguez Reveals Who Owns B-Team: 'We Have A Business Partner As Well'" (Jul 15, 2023), quoting Rodriguez on The Simple Man Podcast.(opens in a new tab)

    • In his own account, Rodriguez says the 'B-Team' name was Craig Jones's pitch (a joke about Jones habitually taking second place); Rodriguez suggested alternatives like 'American Submission Grappling' and initially disliked the chosen name.

      Where in the source: "Craig was pitching 'B-Team' to us, I sent him a couple of other suggestions. I suggested, like, 'American Submission Grappling'"

      Accessed:

    • Rodriguez stated that B-Team's owners were himself, Craig Jones, Nicky Ryan and Ethan Crelinsten, plus one additional, unnamed business partner.

      Where in the source: "Who owns the business is me, Craig Jones, Nicky Ryan, Ethan Crelinsten, and we have a business partner as well"

      Accessed:

  • ADCC (adcombat.com), official results page, "ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship 2022," accessed 2026-09-22.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2022 ADCC World Championship (+99 kg), Rodriguez again placed 2nd (silver), losing the final to champion Gordon Ryan; Roosevelt Sousa placed 3rd and Felipe Pena 4th.

      Where in the source: "MALE +99KG: Gordon Ryan / Nick Rodriguez / Roosevelt Sousa / Felipe Pena"

      Accessed:

  • FloGrappling, "2-Time ADCC Finalist Nick Rodriguez Promoted to BJJ Black Belt" (Joe Gilpin, Dec 23, 2023).(opens in a new tab)

    • On December 23, 2023, Rodriguez was promoted to black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu by Craig Jones, announced on Rodriguez's own Instagram, after only a few years of training.

      Where in the source: "Nick Rodriguez has been promoted to black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Craig Jones... Nick made the announcement this morning on his Instagram"

      Accessed:

  • LowKickMMA, "Kade Ruotolo and Nicky Rod take home $1 million in CJI tournament finals" (Craig Pekios, Aug 18, 2024).(opens in a new tab)

    • At the first-ever Craig Jones Invitational, Rodriguez won the over-80 kg tournament and its $1,000,000 prize. In the semifinal he took the first two rounds against Adam Bradley on the scorecards, climbed into mount in the third, and, when Bradley gave up his back, secured a body triangle and finished with a rear-naked choke, his third straight rear-naked-choke submission of the tournament.

      Where in the source: Opening: "The first-ever Craig Jones Invitational (CJI)"; semifinal paragraph: "Rod climbed into mount. Bradley eventually gave up his back" ... "third-straight RNC submission of the tournament"; headline: "take home $1 million"

      Accessed:

  • BJJDOC, "Nicky Rod had to Go to the Hospital With Staph days before CJI 2" (John Davis, Sep 5, 2025), citing coaches Nicky Ryan and Damien Anderson on The Simple Man Podcast's CJI 2 recap.(opens in a new tab)

    • In 2025, about a week before Craig Jones Invitational 2, Rodriguez developed a severe staph infection on his knee that nearly forced him to withdraw. After the team landed in Las Vegas, his coaches sent him straight to the hospital, where he spent six hours receiving IV antibiotics; Rodriguez later said he was in the hospital on the Tuesday before the event and couldn't walk. He recovered enough to compete and contributed to his team's win, though he acknowledged the infection hurt his cardio.

      Where in the source: Opening paragraphs (infection on his knee a week before the tournament; nearly forced a withdrawal); Nicky Ryan: "You have to go straight to the hospital and get IV antibiotics"; Rodriguez's closing remarks: "Tuesday, I was actually in the hospital, couldn't walk"

      Accessed:

    • After CJI 2, Rodriguez described praying for the strength to heal in time to compete, and thanked Craig Jones and Seth Belisle for the life he was living.

      Where in the source: "I honestly sat down, prayed, I talked to God... I'm living good thanks to Craig Jones and Seth Belisle"

      Accessed:

  • BJJEE, "B-Team Jiu-Jitsu Officially Rebrands As Simple Man Martial Arts" (Sep 4, 2025).(opens in a new tab)

    • Following Craig Jones's departure from the team and from competition, B-Team Jiu-Jitsu officially rebranded as Simple Man Martial Arts during the CJI 2 broadcast (announced Sept 2025); the remaining leaders carrying the team forward were named as Nicky Rodriguez, Nicky Ryan, Ethan Crelinsten and Damien Anderson.

      Where in the source: "the remaining leaders – Nicky Rodriguez, Nicky Ryan, Ethan Crelinsten, and Damien Anderson – decided it was time to move forward under a new name and identity"

      Accessed:

  • BJJDOC, "Nicky Rod Explains How ADCC Silver Changed His Life" (Anson Arnold, April 25, 2026), quoting Episode 167 of The Simple Man Podcast.(opens in a new tab)

    • Reflecting on his career in an April 2026 podcast conversation, Rodriguez said winning the ADCC trials and then placing second at the World Championship on his first attempt 'changed my life forever,' describing how his followers and paid-appearance rate grew rapidly once he had a signature result to point to.

      Where in the source: "I only got second in my first attempt, but changed my life forever... I had like maybe 30 or 40,000 followers after Trials... I think I was charging like five thousand dollars per event... after placing second at Worlds, it was like it started multiplying"

      Accessed:

Competition results

Recorded tournament results, newest first
YearEventResultDivision
2022ADCC 2022Source: adcombat.com+99 kgNo-giVerified2nd place+99 kgNo-giVerified
2019ADCC 2019Source: adcombat.com+99 kgNo-giVerified2nd place+99 kgNo-giVerified

Lineage

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