In a revealing interview with Mighty Mouse (Demetrious Johnson), Nick “Nicky Rod” Rodriguez shared his insights on the future of jiu-jitsu, his career path, and why he believes gi jiu-jitsu will continue to be dominated by hobbyists rather than professional competitors.
Rodriguez, who recently claimed the million-dollar prize at CJI 1, has established himself as one of the world’s premier no-gi grapplers despite having only trained jiu-jitsu for seven years. Coming from a wrestling background, he made a calculated decision early in his career to focus exclusively on no-gi competition.
“When I started jiu-jitsu, Jay Riggabutoo actually told me these are the guys that make money – it was all no-gi guys,”
Rodriguez explained.
“I was like, ‘Well, let’s take this thing off.'”
This business-minded approach has shaped Rodriguez’s entire career. When asked about why he doesn’t compete in the gi, Rodriguez offered a perspective that challenges the traditional prestige hierarchy of jiu-jitsu competitions.
“The IBJJF stuff is confusing because there’s really talented guys that compete there, but they pay money to compete,”
Rodriguez said.
“That’s not a professional program. I’ve never heard somebody pay to compete in a professional sport.”
Rodriguez believes this fundamental economic structure will keep gi jiu-jitsu in a different category from no-gi in terms of professionalization:
“I think the gi will be primarily hobbyists indefinitely. But that’s good – when you’re kind of done with the speedy stuff at 40, 50, whatever, you tone it down a notch, use less athleticism, go hold onto your partner as long as you want, and squeeze those pajamas.”
The interview also touched on why no-gi has become more popular with spectators. Rodriguez attributes this to several factors:
“It’s faster pace, I think that’s intriguing. You can see more of the body, so you see the placements of hands and legs better. And you get much longer scrambles.”
Rodriguez, who trains at B Team Jiu-Jitsu in Austin alongside his brother Jay Rodriguez and other elite grapplers including Craig Jones, has a unique training approach. Rather than having a single head coach directing his development, Rodriguez relies on peer learning and introspection.
“It’s mainly my peers,”
he explained about his coaching structure.
“I’m very introspective – I look at myself and see where can I fill in the gaps, where do I need work. I watch a ton of my rounds and see where I can do better.”
Another notable aspect of Rodriguez’s career is his commitment to competing without performance-enhancing drugs, something that has earned him the nickname “The Natty King” in a sport where ster*id use is widespread.
“I thought everyone was natty until my first ADCC,”
Rodriguez recalled.
“I get up there and some of these guys are like 260 with abs. I’m like, ‘This don’t make any sense. I lift weights for a long time, this ain’t how it goes.'”
Despite competing against many athletes who use PEDs, Rodriguez has achieved remarkable success, which he takes pride in:
“I want to give myself credit because it’s pretty amazing that I’m able to do these things to these guys that not only have been training jiu-jitsu much longer than me but are also a lot of them are on ster*ids.”
Rodriguez will soon face Kaynan Duarte, who has defeated him twice before. The match will pit the CJI champion against the ADCC champion in what promises to be one of the biggest grappling contests of the year.
As no-gi jiu-jitsu continues to grow professionally with bigger purses and more mainstream appeal, Rodriguez’s perspective suggests that the two branches of the sport – gi and no-gi – may continue to diverge in terms of professional opportunities, with the gi remaining the domain of hobbyists while no-gi attracts those seeking to make a living from the sport.
