UFC Fight Pass 4 saw several standout performances — notably B-Team’s Nicky Rod, who somehow avoided getting submitted by what appeared to be a fully-locked armbar at the hands of notorious New Wave giant, the near-300-pound “Big Dan” Manasoiu, and finished Manasoiu by rear-naked choke in overtime. Rodriguez claimed a well-deserved $30,000 cash prize for his efforts.
In the aftermath of his victory, Rodriguez called out Gordon Ryan for a ten-minute EBI rules match, with both athletes undergoing USADA testing both before and after competition. Ryan refused Rodriguez’s offer, stating that “steroids are not illegal in jiu-jitsu.” He is, however, very open to facing his former teammate in competition again — but in, to quote Ryan, “a tournament where he gets no relevancy off my name and he doesn’t make any money losing to me for the third time in a row.”
Meanwhile, over on the main card, Rodriguez’s teammate and B-Team leader Craig Jones took a victory over Felipe Pena in overtime based on fastest escape time, while Nicholas Meregali took out Cyborg Abreu with an armbar, also in overtime.
Also delivering a standout performance was young Helena Crevar, the teen terror of New Wave, who crushed her black belt opponent Emily Fernandez with an RNC finish in regulation — the only showdown outside of the absolute tournament in which a finish was scored before overtime rounds.
