Jacob “Jay Rod” Rodriguez is returning to competition. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu standout announced he will step onto the Karate Combat stage on July 24 at KC62: Vice City in Miami, Florida. This marks his first public competitive appearance since a very public and very difficult year away from the spotlight.
The announcement came through Karate Combat’s official social media channels, confirming Rodriguez as a participant in the promotion’s upcoming event.
The post, which tagged Rodriguez’s handle along with PIT Submission, generated immediate attention from the jiu-jitsu community.
Rodriguez, an ADCC silver medalist best known for his mastery of the buggy choke, was removed from the B Team jiu-jitsu academy in Austin in May 2025 after team leadership discovered he had been storing screenshots of female teammates’ public Instagram profiles alongside adult content on his personal device.
Co-founders Craig Jones and Seth Belisle moved quickly, with Jones personally calling Rodriguez at 1 AM to inform him of the decision. In the aftermath, Rodriguez acknowledged his behavior as invasive, inappropriate, and unhealthy, while clarifying that circulating rumors involving AI-generated content or hidden cameras were untrue. He also shared that he had been attending therapy and leaning on his faith as part of a broader effort at personal growth.
The months that followed were among the hardest of his athletic life. In an August 2025 appearance on the Jits and Giggles podcast, Rodriguez described the experience of being effectively locked out of elite training.
“I can’t train in Austin specifically, anywhere worth going to,” he said, explaining that gyms he contacted were hesitant to welcome him, a reaction he said he understood from a business standpoint.
For a stretch of two to three months, he stepped away from the mats entirely before eventually landing at East Austin Jiu-Jitsu, where consistent, high-level training remained difficult to come by.
His path back to the gym has not been without further complication. Reports state that Rodriguez has been seen training at Simple Man Martial Arts, the Austin facility formerly known as B Team that rebranded following leadership changes.
When reached for comment, Simple Man coach Damien Anderson offered a carefully worded statement: “Jay Rodriguez is not a member of Simple Man Martial Arts, is not part of our team or programs, and does not train during public classes or member hours. Our zero tolerance policy regarding conduct and member safety remains in place. Any limited use of the facility has occurred outside of public hours and does not involve participation in classes.”
The academy itself has undergone significant changes since Rodriguez’s departure. Craig Jones announced his exit from the organization in July 2025, with Seth Belisle following him out.
