A photo of Ricco Rodriguez.
Ricco Rodriguez (born August 19, 1977) is an American mixed martial artist. He is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion. He has also competed in PRIDE Fighting Championship, EliteXC, International Fight League, World Extreme Cagefighting and King of the Cage. He holds notable wins over Andrei Arlovski, Jeff Monson, Randy Couture, Paul Buentello and Rob Broughton.
Early life[]
Rodriguez grew up in the projects in Paterson, New Jersey. He got into a lot of street fights as a half Puerto Rican/half Mexican in a primarily Italian neighborhood[1]. Rodriguez wrestled in high school while living in Staten Island, New York. He later moved to California and began training in the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with Rigan and Jean Jacques Machado[2]. He competed and won many Jiu Jitsu tournaments before moving on to MMA.[3]
Mixed martial arts career[]
In 1997, Ricco Rodriguez became one of the small group of Americans to win a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championship, taking the Blue Belt Absolute title[4]. He won the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in the Absolute (open weight) division in 1998.[5] In the following year Rodriguez began his MMA career with a win against Rocky Batastini. He won several of his first matches before losing to Bobby Hoffman at the Superbrawl 13 event in Hawaii. He later fought in the PRIDE Fighting Championship before moving on to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
UFC[]
Rodriguez's first UFC match was at UFC 32 against Andrei Arlovski which he won by TKO. He was scheduled to fight Lion’s Den fighter Pete Williams at UFC 33, but the fight was postponed until UFC 34 due to an injury suffered by Williams during training.
Rodriguez went on to beat Williams, Jeff Monson (UFC 35) and Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (UFC 37) to earn a shot for the vacant heavyweight championship against Randy Couture at UFC 39. Rodriguez was losing on the scorecard in the initial rounds. In the fifth round Rodriguez was able to achieve a ground-and-pound victory with a stoppage by verbal tapout. In his first title defense, he was knocked out by Tim Sylvia in the first round, losing the belt.
Post-UFC[]
Following the end of his UFC contract, Rodriguez fought for a number of regional and national promotions. He also gained a significant amount of weight, at one point weighing Template:Convert/LoffAoffDbSoff.[2] On July 22, 2006, in a rematch of their August 2005 bout in the WEC, he avenged a loss to Ron Waterman at WFA: King of the Streets. He fought as a superheavyweight, weighing in at Template:Convert/LoffAoffDbSoff, and was quoted as saying "I'm fat but I still got skills."[6]
Following his win against Imani Lee on November 17, 2006, Rodriguez was put under indefinite suspension by the California State Athletic Commission.[7] The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that Rodriguez had tested positive for both marijuana and cocaine and was subsequently given a six month suspension for the failed drug test.[8]
On July 27, 2007, Ricco Rodriguez, in his first fight after his suspension, defeated Lloyd Marshbanks by first round TKO at MMA Xtreme 13, which was held in Puebla, Mexico. At the IFL championship finals, he lost to Ben Rothwell by unanimous decision.
Rodriguez fought in the YAMMA Pit Fighting one-night heavyweight tournament as a late replacement. He defeated George Bush in the first round by unanimous decision, but was beaten by eventual champion Travis Wiuff in the semi-finals by unanimous decision.
Ricco Rodriguez was scheduled to replace an injured Kevin Randleman in a fight against Jeff Monson at the inaugural Godz of War show.[9] That event was canceled, however, and the fight was rescheduled for the inaugural Mixed Fighting Alliance (MFA) event, which Rodriguez lost by unanimous decision.
At the 2009 ADCC qualifiers Rodriguez weighed in at a svelte 218 lbs, down well over 100 lbs from his peak in the mid-2000s.
Rodriguez missed weight for his first attempt at fighting at 205 pounds at the inaugural Israel Fighting Championship event on the Nov. 9. He still fought and won his fight over Daniel Tabera, however, and then promptly challenged his friend, Jeff Monson, to a fight at 205 pounds.[10]
Boxing career[]
Rodriguez made his professional boxing debut on October 12, 2006, beating 19-year-old Cruiserweight Brandon Baker by knock out. On July 8, 2008, Rodriguez fought his second professional boxing bout losing via split decision to Chad Davies, who came into the fight with a 0-1 record.
Personal life[]
Rodriguez is of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent.[2] He has a daughter and a son.[11][12] Ricco is also the first Hispanic American to ever win a UFC Heavyweight title.
Rodriguez has appeared on season one of the VH1 reality television show Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew[13], Human Weapon where he faced Bill Duff in a draw, and also appears in some bonus footage of The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr DVD.[14]
Championships and accomplishments[]
- King of the Cage
- KOTC Heavyweight Championship (1 Time)
- YAMMA Pit Fighting
- YAMMA Heavyweight Tournament Semifinalist
Mixed martial arts record[]
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 61 | 45 wins | 11 losses |
| By knockout | 13 | 2 |
| By submission | 22 | 0 |
| By decision | 10 | 9 |
Template:-
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Win | 45-11 |  Daniel Tabera
|
Decision (Unanimous) | Israel FC: Genesis | 2010-11-09 | 3 | 5:00 | Tel Aviv, Israel | 215 pound Catchweight Bout |
| Win | 44-11 |  John Juarez
|
Decision (Split) | USA MMA - Stacked! | 2010-07-31 | 3 | 3:00 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | |
| Win | 43-11 | Bobby Martinez
|
Submission (Heel Hook) | Absolute Fighting Alliance - Parking Lot Beatdown | 2010-07-17 | 1 | 1:00 | Fort Wayne, Indiana | |
| Win | 42-11 | Ken Sparks
|
TKO (Punches) | USA MMA - Legends | 2010-05-22 | 1 | 1:06 | Kinder, Louisiana | |
| Win | 41-11 | Travis Fulton
|
KO (Head Kick) | Cage Thug MMA | 2010-05-01 | 1 | 3:27 | Waterloo, Iowa | |
| Win | 40-11 | Brian Ryan
|
TKO (Punches) | XKL: Evolution 1 | 2010-03-20 | 2 | 2:05 | Ypsilanti, Michigan | |
| Win | 39-11 | Patrick Miller
|
TKO (Punches) | STFC 10 – Annihilation | 2010-02-26 | 2 | 2:20 | Mcallen, Texas | |
| Win | 38-11 |  Moise Rimbon
|
Decision (Split) | IAFC – Mayor's Cup 2009 | 2009-11-27 | 3 | 3:00 | Novosibirsk, Russia | ProFC Mayor's Cup Opening Round |
| Win | 37-11 | Justin Howard
|
Submission (Strikes) | KOK 7 – Judgement Day | 2009-08-29 | 1 | 4:06 | Austin, Texas, US | |
| Win | 36-11 | John Brown
|
Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | Reality Combat – The Return | 2009-07-25 | 3 | 2:34 | Slidell, Louisiana, US | |
| Loss | 35-11 | Mario Rinaldi
|
Decision (Unanimous) | WFC – Battle Of The Bay 8 | 2009-07-10 | 3 | 5:00 | Tampa, Florida, US | |
| Win | 35-10 | Doug Williams
|
Submission (Anaconda Choke) | AFC 09 – Armagedon Fighting Championships 09 | 2009-06-27 | 1 | 1:02 | Tyler, Texas, US | |
| Loss | 34-10 | Jeff Monson
|
Decision (Unanimous) | Mixed Fighting Alliance "There Will Be Blood" | 2008-12-13 | 3 | 5:00 | Miami, Florida, US | |
| Win | 34-9 | Robert Beraun
|
Decision (Unanimous) | RITC 117 - Rage in the Cage 117 | 2008-11-08 | 3 | 3:00 | Phoenix, Arizona, US | |
| Win | 33-9 |  Rob Broughton
|
Submission (Kneebar) | Cage Gladiators 9 | 2008-10-04 | 2 | 3:39 | Liverpool, England, United Kingdom | |
| Win | 32-9 | Titus Campbell[15]
|
Submission (Guillotine Choke) | SCF – Silver Crown Fights | 2008-08-08 | 2 | 3:05 | Fort Wayne, Indiana, US | |
| Win | 31-9 | Johnathan Ivey[16]
|
Decision (Unanimous) | Xp3 – The Proving Ground | 2008-07-26 | 3 | 5:00 | Houston, Texas, US | |
| Win | 30-9 | Chris Guillen[17]
|
Submission (Armbar) | UCE – Ultimate Combat Experience 1 | 2008-06-27 | 1 | 4:52 | West Valley City, Utah, US | |
| Loss | 29-9 | Travis Wiuff
|
Decision (Unanimous) | YAMMA Pit Fighting 1 | 2008-04-11 | 1 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, US | YAMMA Heavyweight Tournament Semi-Final |
| Win | 29-8 | George Bush[18]
|
Decision (Unanimous) | YAMMA Pit Fighting 1 | 2008-04-11 | 1 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, US | YAMMA Heavyweight Tournament Qaurter-Final |
| Loss | 28-8 |  Antonio Silva
|
Decision (Split) | EliteXC: Street Certified | 2008-02-16 | 3 | 5:00 | Miami, Florida, US | |
| Win | 28-7 | Kevin Filal | TKO (Elbows) | PFP – Ring of Fire | 2007-12-09 | 2 | 0:21 | Manila, Philippines | |
| Loss | 27-7 | Ben Rothwell
|
Decision (Unanimous) | IFL 2007 World Championship Finals | 2007-09-20 | 3 | 4:00 | Hollywood, Florida, US | |
| Win | 27-6 | Lloyd Marshbanks[19]
|
TKO | MMAX 13 – MMA Xtreme 13 | 2007-07-28 | 1 | 3:11 | Tijuana, Mexico | |
| Win | 26-6 | Imani Lee[20]
|
Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | BIB: Beatdown in Bakersfield | 2006-11-17 | 1 | 2:12 | Bakersfield, California, US | |
| Win | 25-6 | Abdias Irisson | TKO | MMAX 7 – MMA Xtreme 7 | 2006-11-11 | 1 | 0:59 | Tijuana, Mexico | |
| Win | 24-6 | Ron Waterman
|
TKO (Doctor Stoppage) | WFA: King of the Streets | 2006-07-22 | 1 | 5:00 | Los Angeles, California, US | |
| Win | 23-6 | Taylor Brooks | Submission (Armbar) | MMAX 1 – MMA Xtreme 1 | 2006-03-25 | 1 | 2:26 | Tijuana, Mexico | |
| Loss | 22-6 | Robert Beraun
|
Decision (Unanimous) | RITC 78 – Back with a Vengeance | 2006-01-14 | 3 | 3:00 | Glendale, Arizona, US | |
| Win | 22-5 | Taylor Brooks | Submission (Armbar) | PFL – Pro Fight League | 2005-03-25 | 1 | 3:50 | Phoenix, Arizona, US | |
| Win | 21-5 | David Mori | Decision (Unanimous) | MMAFC 4 – MMA Fighting Challenge 4 | 2005-12-03 | 3 | 5:00 | Guadalajara, Mexico | |
| Win | 20-5 | Corey Salter[21]
|
Submission (Guillotine Choke) | UTS 3 – Ultimate Texas Showdown 3 | 2005-11-26 | 2 | 0:17 | Dallas, Texas, US | |
| Win | 19-5 | Jimmy Ambriz
|
Submission (Punches) | WEC 17 – Halloween Fury 4 | 2005-10-14 | 1 | 4:13 | Lemoore, California, US | |
| Loss | 18-5 | Ron Waterman
|
Decision (Unanimous) | WEC 16 – Clash of the Titans 2 | 2005-08-18 | 3 | 5:00 | Lemoore, California, US | |
| Win | 18-4 | Andy Montana[22]
|
Submission (Armbar) | IE – Independent Event | 2005-07-15 | 1 | 1:50 | Arizona, US | |
| Win | 17-4 | Ruben Villareal
|
Submission (Armbar) | Extreme Wars – X-1 | 2005-07-02 | 1 | 2:38 | Honolulu, Hawaii, US | |
| Win | 16-4 | Scott Junk
|
Submission (Front Choke) | ROTR 7 – Rumble on the Rock 7 | 2005-05-07 | 2 | 0:42 | Honolulu, Hawaii, US | |
| Win | 15-4 |  Mike Seal[23]
|
Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | MMA Mexico – Day 2 | 2004-12-18 | 1 | 2:01 | Juarez, Mexico | |
| Loss | 14-4 | Pedro Rizzo
|
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 45 – Revolution | 2003-11-21 | 3 | 5:00 | Uncasville, Connecticut, US | |
| Loss | 14-3 | Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira
|
Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE Total Elimination 2003 | 2003-08-10 | 3 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Loss | 14-2 | Tim Sylvia
|
KO (Punches) | UFC 41 – Onslaught | 2003-02-28 | 1 | 3:09 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, US | Lost UFC Heavyweight Championship |
| Win | 14-1 | Randy Couture
|
Submission (Elbow) | UFC 39 – The Warriors Return | 2002-09-27 | 5 | 3:04 | Uncasville, Connecticut, US | Won vacant UFC Heavyweight Championship |
| Win | 13-1 |  Tsuyoshi Kohsaka
|
TKO (Punches) | UFC 37 – High Impact | 2002-05-10 | 2 | 3:25 | Bossier City, Louisiana, US | |
| Win | 12-1 | Jeff Monson
|
TKO (Punches) | UFC 35 – Throwdown | 2002-01-11 | 3 | 3:00 | Uncasville, Connecticut, US | |
| Win | 11-1 | Pete Williams
|
TKO (Strikes) | UFC 34 – High Voltage | 2001-11-02 | 2 | 4:02 | Las Vegas, Nevada, US | |
| Win | 10-1 |  Andrei Arlovski
|
TKO (Punches) | UFC 32 – Showdown in the Meadowlands | 2001-06-29 | 3 | 1:23 | East Rutherford, New Jersey, US | |
| Win | 9-1 | Paul Buentello
|
Submission (Kneebar) | KOTC 7 – Wet and Wild | 2001-02-24 | 2 | 4:21 | San Jacinto, California, US | Wins KOTC Heavyweight Championship |
| Win | 8-1 | John Marsh
|
Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE 12 Cold Fury | 2000-12-09 | 2 | 10:00 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Win | 7-1 | Takayuki Okada
|
Submission (North/South Choke) | PRIDE 10 Return of the Warriors | 2000-08-27 | 1 | 6:04 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Win | 6-1 |  Gary Goodridge
|
Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE 9 New Blood | 2000-06-04 | 2 | 10:00 | Nagoya, Japan | |
| Win | 5-1 | Travis Fulton
|
Submission (Armbar) | KOTC 2 – Desert Storm | 2000-02-05 | 1 | 4:49 | San Jacinto, California, US | |
| Win | 4-1 | Sam Adkins[24]
|
Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) | Armageddon – Armageddon 2 | 1999-11-23 | 2 | 3:53 | Houston, Texas, US | |
| Loss | 3-1 | Bobby Hoffman
|
KO (Punches) | SB 13 – SuperBrawl 13 | 1999-09-07 | 1 | 3:13 | Honolulu, Hawaii, US | |
| Win | 3-0 | Steve Shaw | Submission (Armbar) | RITC 6 – Rage in the Cage 6 | 1999-07-10 | 1 | 1:34 | Phoenix, Arizona, US | |
| Win | 2-0 | Scott Adams[25]
|
Decision (Unanimous) | EC – Extreme Cage | 1999-03-25 | 3 | 4:00 | Phoenix, Arizona, US | |
| Win | 1-0 | Rocky Batastini[26]
|
Submission (Armbar) | EC – Extreme Cage | 1999-03-25 | 3 | 3:11 | Phoenix, Arizona, US |
References[]
- ↑ http://www.8countnews.com/news/117/ARTICLE/1223/2008-12-17.html
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Frias, Daniel (July 21, 2006). Ricco ready for the next chapter. Press-Telegram. Retrieved on May 14, 2009.
- ↑ Ricco "Suave" Rodriguez. PriceFC. Retrieved on May 14, 2009.
- ↑ IBJJF Mundials results 1997. www.ibjjf.org. Retrieved on Feb 22, 2010.
- ↑ ADCC 1998 - Matches for Absolute Weight Class - Finals. Abu Dhabi Combat Club. Retrieved on May 18, 2009. Template:Dead link
- ↑ Bliss, Kim. WFA 07/21/2006. BoutReviewsUSA.com. Retrieved on May 14, 2009.
- ↑ Cotterill, Andy (January 12, 2007). Suspension forces Ricco off Rumble In the Cage. Sherdog.com. Retrieved on May 14, 2009.
- ↑ Trembow, Ivan (February 16, 2007). In-Depth: Commission Hearings for Randleman, Yvel, Alves, Toughill, & Carvalho. MMAWeekly.com. Archived from the original on February 27, 2007. Retrieved on May 14, 2009.
- ↑ Rodriguez to replace Randleman against Monson. MMAFighting.com (June 5, 2008). Retrieved on May 14, 2009.
- ↑ Former UFC Champion Ricco Rodriguez Sets Up Bout With Jeff Monson. MMAWeekly.com (November 9, 2010). Retrieved on November 9, 2010.
- ↑ Interview with Mr Suave, Ricco Rodriguez. TRIPOD.com (2001-04-26). Retrieved on 2010-08-13.
- ↑ Positive energy helps Ricco Rodriguez battle the odds. TBO.com (2009-07-10). Retrieved on 2010-08-13.
- ↑ Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, Season 1, Cast Bios. VH1.com. Retrieved on May 14, 2009.
- ↑ Ristow, Richard (December 25, 2003). The Smashing Machine DVD Review. MMARingReport.com. Retrieved on May 14, 2009.
- ↑ Titus Campbell. MixedMartialArts.com. Retrieved on May 14, 2009.
- ↑ Johnathan Ivey. Sherdog.com. Retrieved on May 14, 2009.
- ↑ Chris Guillen. Sherdog.com. Retrieved on May 14, 2009.
- ↑ George Bush. Sherdog.com. Retrieved on May 14, 2009.
- ↑ Lloyd Marshbanks. Sherdog.com. Retrieved on May 14, 2009.
- ↑ panah, Tyler (August 2, 2006). Imani Lee - USA. Mat Magazine. Retrieved on May 14, 2009. Template:Dead link
- ↑ Corey Salter. Sherdog.com. Retrieved on May 14, 2009.
- ↑ Andy Montana. Sherdog.com. Retrieved on May 14, 2009.
- ↑ Mike Seal. Sherdog.com. Retrieved on May 14, 2009.
- ↑ Sam Adkins. Sherdog.com. Retrieved on May 14, 2009.
- ↑ Scott Adams. Sherdog.com. Retrieved on May 14, 2009.
- ↑ Rocky Batastini. Sherdog.com. Retrieved on May 14, 2009.