If anyone thought it was a fluke for blue belt phenom Nick Rodriguez to qualify for ADCC, no one’s thinking it now.
Rodriguez, an accomplished wrestler, not only held his own against first-round opponent Mahamed Aly, but defeated him by referee decision. The match had the crowd on its feet, with the competitors trying to out-wrestle each other and often ending up tumbling or stumbling off the mats in the process.
The win is huge for Rodriguez and establishes him as a serious contender for gold at this event. Plus, it will soon give us an exciting match between him and Orlando Sanchez, who also won his first-round match against Mateusz Juskowiak by two points in overtime.
Check out what Rodriguez had to say about his match below:
