Nicholas Pete Rodriguez was born on August 30, 1996, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was brought up there and went to Clayton High School.
In the sixth grade, Rodriguez started wrestling. As a senior, he was eligible for the NJSIAA finals but did not place.
Rodriguez attended Ferrum College after graduating from high school, which offered an NCAA Division III wrestling programme. He put on 50 pounds and moved from 170 to 220, between his last bout as a high school wrestler and his first match as a college wrestler.
During his one year in college, Rodriguez finished fourth in the East Regionals with a record of 23 wins and 4 defeats. Rodriguez made the decision to pursue a modelling career with Wilhelmina Models and also performed with Chippendales for some time.
In order to keep in shape, Rodriguez was convinced by a friend to sign up for his first jiu-jitsu class in 2018. He attended his first submission wrestling match after two weeks of practice and went on to win the advanced 230-pound and absolute categories.
On October 5, 2019, Rodriguez made his comeback to wrestling when he competed against Pat Downey. He was a member of the 2019 USA Wrestling World Team. The two competed in a superfight under freestyle guidelines at Who’s Number One. Rodriguez ended up losing the match via a technical fall.
Nick Rodriguez then moved to the Renzo Gracie Academy a few months later with coach John Danaher, who subsequently gave him his blue belt.
Rodriguez competed in the IBJJF World Championship in the blue belt division after failing to earn a spot in the ADCCs. He ended up winning the title after defeating each of his three rivals.
Rodriguez won the North American trials to earn a spot in the 2019 ADCC World Championships as a blue belt. He advanced to the finals after defeating three renowned jiu-jitsu black belts, including Mahamed Aly, Orlando Sanchez, and Cyborg Abreu.
At the finals he lost to Kaynan Duarte, a black belt and the IBJJF World Champion. Therefore, he finished in second place in the tournament.
His coach Jay Regalbuto promoted him to purple belt on the ADCC podium. Rodriguez earned the moniker ‘Black Belt Slayer.’
In July 2019, he participated in Third Coast Grappling: Kumite IV. He was defeated in the first round.
With the rest of his colleagues, Rodriguez relocated to Puerto Rico in December 2020 to continue working out with John Danaher.
In March 2021, Rodriguez and Yuri Simões squared off in the Who’s Number One co-main event. Rodriguez ended up winning the match through decision.
In April 2021, he received an invitation to take part in an absolute grand prix at Third Coast Grappling 6. In the first round, Rodriguez won by decision against Pedro Marinho before falling to Victor Hugo in the semifinals.
News of the Danaher Death Squad’s dissolution surfaced in July. Rodriguez made the decision to keep working out with Nicky Ryan, Ethan Crelinsten, and Craig Jones. In August 2021, the four grapplers founded B-Team Jiu-Jitsu, a brand-new gym in Austin, Texas.
In October 2021, he received an invitation to participate in EBI 20: The Absolutes. Rodriguez won the competition after beating Kyle Boehm, Austin Baker, Luke Griffith, and Ezeqiual Zurita in a single evening.
Rodriguez was slated to participate in a different absolute tournament at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 3 on December 15, 2021. Rodriguez agreed to fill in for Vinny Magalhes when the latter withdrew from the match against Gordon Ryan in the main event. Both competitors were unable to complete the bout within the allotted time, but Gordon Ryan won in EBI overtime by making the fastest escape.
Rodriguez received an invitation to compete in the 2022 ADCC World Championship not long after that.
In January 2022, Rodriguez competed against Elder Cruz at Who’s Number One: Jones v. Marinho and lost the match by a split decision. Rodriguez soon attained the rank of brown belt in BJJ.
At ADCC 2022, Rodriguez competed in the over 99 kg class. On the first day, he submitted John Hansen with a rear-naked choke after defeating Damon Ramos on points. He won the semi-final match against Felipe Pena on points on the second day, but Gordon Ryan submitted him in the championship match. Therefore, he ended up winning a silver medal.
During their bout, Ryan accused Rodriguez of “greasing.” On Mark Bell’s Power Project Podcast in February 2023, Rodriguez refuted such claims.
Rodriguez filled in for Gordon Ryan against Felipe Pena in the Who’s Number One main event on February 25, 2023 with just two days’ notice. He was defeated by a unanimous decision.
After that, Rodriguez received an invitation to the UFC Fight Pass Invitational 4’s openweight competition in June 2023. He defeated Dan Manasoiu, Vagner Rocha, and Roberto Jimenez, to win the competition.
Nick Rodriguez is currently dating his longtime girlfriend, Brittany Reimel. She has been supporting him since the beginning of his career.
