- Nicky Rodriguez tapped all of his opponents to be hailed as champion at the Craig Jones Invitational
- “Nicky Rod” also cashed in the $1 million prize money
Nicky Rodriguez choked out all of his four opponents en route to the championship victory and $1 million prize.
A hot start
Rodriguez kicked off the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational event by securing a commanding rear-naked choke submission win over Max Gimenis, which saw him avancing to progress to the quarter-finals. “Nicky Rod” went on to defeat Owen Livesey in the same fashion to wrap up Day 1 and earn a spot for the invitational’s Day 2.
Rod with two more rear-naked chokes in Day 2
Rodriguez picked up where he left off in Day 2 and triumphed over a formidable opponent in Adam Bradley, with yet another rear-naked choke submission. This victory propelled him into the finals against Brazilian standout Fellipe Andrew.
Despite the challenge posed by the two-time ADCC World Championship silver medalist, Rodriguez was able to finish his foe in the opening round via another rear-naked choke to take home the $1 million championship prize.
Check out the highlights below:
Nicky Rod wins the $1,000,000!!!!
4 submissions pic.twitter.com/SXRoMwgJCV— MMA Mania (@mmamania) August 18, 2024
The Saturday’s event marked the first-ever Craig Jones Invitational event. Rodriguez etched his name in history with his remarkable run, while Jones himself also starred in the event by submitting Brazilian MMA star Gabi Garcia in their bizarre intergender grappling match.
