Ricco Rodriguez
 |
Name | Ricco Rodriguez |
| Nickname | Suave | |
| Association | American Fight Club | |
| Weight Class | Heavyweight | |
| Height | 6' 4" (194cm) | |
| Style | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Freestyle Wrestling | |
| Birth Date | August 19, 1977 | |
| Fighting Out Of | Staten Island, New York | |
| Country | USA | |
| Ricco Rodriguez Pictures | Official Website |
Ricco Rodriguez is an American mixed martial artist of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent. He is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight champion and has also competed in PRIDE Fighting Championship, EliteXC, International Fight League (IFL), World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), and King of the Cage. He holds notable wins over Andrei Arlovski, Jeff Monson, and Randy Couture.
Contents |
Professional Record
| Record | 49 - 18 - 0 (Win – Loss – Draw) |
| Wins | 13 (T)KOs 25 Submissions 10 Decisions 1 Other |
| Losses | 4 (T)KOs 1 Submissions 13 Decisions |
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event Title | Date | Round | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Martin Thompson | Submission (Armbar) | UWC 21: Xplosion | 10/20/2012 | 1 | 4:45 | |
| Loss | Stav Economou | Decision (Unanimous) | Dubai FC 1: The Beginning | 5/4/2012 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Ruslan Magomedov | Decision (Unanimous) | United Glory 15: 2012 World Series | 3/23/2012 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Alexander Volkov | Decision (Unanimous) | BF: Baltic Challenge 3 | 2/23/2012 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Blagoi Ivanov | TKO (Retirement) | CMMAT: Chekhov MMA Tournament | 12/24/2011 | 3 | 3:33 | |
| Win | Bashir Yamilkhanov | TKO (Punches) | FEFoMP: Battle of Empires | 12/17/2011 | 2 | 2:56 | |
| Loss | Glover Teixeira | Submission (Punches) | MMAAD: MMA Against Dengue | 11/27/2011 | 1 | 1:58 | |
| Loss | Michal Kita | Decision (Unanimous) | MMAA: MMA Attack | 11/5/2011 | 2 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Seth Petruzelli | TKO (Punches) | BFC: Bellator Fighting Championships 48 | 8/20/2011 | 1 | 4:21 | |
| Win | Doug Williams | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | SF 17: Horwich vs. Rosholt 2 | 7/15/2011 | 1 | 2:16 | |
| Win | James McSweeney | Decision (Unanimous) | BAMMA: British Association of Mixed Martial Arts 5 | 2/26/2011 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Daniel Tabera | Decision (Unanimous) | Israeli Fighting Championship: Genesis | 11/09/2010 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | John Juarez | Decision (Split) | USA MMA: Stacked | 7/31/2010 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Bobby Martinez | Submission (Heel Hook) | Absolute Fighting Alliance: Parking Lot Beatdown | 7/17/2010 | 1 | N/A | |
| Win | Ken Sparks | TKO (Punches) | USA MMA: Legends | 5/22/2010 | 1 | N/A | |
| Win | Travis Fulton | KO (Head Kick) | Cage Thug: MMA Pro Event | 5/01/2010 | 1 | N/A | |
| Win | Brian Ryan | TKO (Punches) | Xtreme Kombat League: Evolution 1 | 3/20/2010 | 2 | 2:05 | |
| Win | Patrick Miller | TKO (Punches) | STFC: South Texas Fighting Championships | 2/26/2010 | 2 | 2:20 | |
| Win | Moise Rimbon | Decision (Split) | IAFC: Mayor's Cup 2009 | 11/28/2009 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Justin Howard | Submission (Strikes) | KOK 7: Judgment Day | 8/29/2009 | 1 | 2:06 | |
| Win | John Brown | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | Reality Combat: The Return | 7/25/2009 | 3 | 2:34 | |
| Loss | Mario Rinaldi | Decision (Unanimous) | WFC: Battle of the Bay 8 | 7/10/2009 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Doug Williams | Submission | AFC 09: Armagedon Fighting Championships 09 | 6/27/2009 | 1 | 1:02 | |
| Loss | Jeff Monson | Decision (Unanimous) | Mixed Fighting Alliance: There Will Be Blood | 12/13/2008 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Robert Beraun | Decision (Unanimous) | RITC 117: Rage in the Cage 117 | 11/08/2008 | 3 | 3:00 | |
| Win | Rob Broughton | Submission (Kneebar) | CG 9: Beatdown | 10/04/2008 | 2 | 3:39 | |
| Win | Titus Campbell | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | SCF: Silver Crown Fights | 8/08/2008 | 2 | 3:06 | |
| Win | Johnathan Ivey | Decision (Unanimous) | Xp3: The Proving Ground | 7/26/2008 | 3 | 3:00 | |
| Win | Chris Guillen | Submission (Armbar) | UCE: Round 31 Finals | 6/27/2008 | 1 | 4:30 | |
| Loss | Travis Wiuff | Decision (Unanimous) | YAMMA: Pit Fighting 1 | 4/11/2008 | 1 | 5:00 | YAMMA Heavyweight Tournament Semi-Final |
| Win | George Bush | Decision (Unanimous) | YAMMA: Pit Fighting 1 | 4/11/2008 | 1 | 5:00 | YAMMA Heavyweight Tournament Opening Round |
| Loss | Antonio Silva | Decision (Split) | EliteXC: Street Certified | 2/16/2008 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Kevin Filal | KO (Head Kick) | PFP: Ring of Fire | 12/09/2007 | 1 | N/A | |
| Loss | Ben Rothwell | Decision (Unanimous) | IFL: 2007 Team Championship Final | 9/20/2007 | 3 | 4:00 | |
| Win | Lloyd Marshbanks | TKO | MMAX 13: MMA Xtreme 13 | 7/28/2007 | 1 | 3:11 | |
| Win | Imani Lee | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | BIB: Beatdown in Bakersfield | 11/17/2006 | 1 | 2:12 | |
| Win | Abdias Irisson | TKO | MMAX 7: MMA Xtreme 7 | 11/11/2006 | 1 | N/A | |
| Win | Ron Waterman | TKO (Doctor Stoppage) | WFA: King of the Streets | 7/22/2006 | 1 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Taylor Brooks | Submission (Armbar) | MMAX 1: MMA Xtreme 1 | 3/25/2006 | 1 | N/A | |
| Loss | Robert Beraun | Decision (Unanimous) | RITC 78: Back with a Vengeance | 1/14/2006 | 3 | 3:00 | |
| Win | Tyler Brooks | Submission (Armbar) | PFL: Pro Fight League | 12/09/2005 | 1 | 4:00 | |
| Win | David Mori | N/A | MMAFC 4: MMA Fighting Challenge 4 | 12/03/2005 | N/A | N/A | |
| Win | Corey Salter | Submission | UTS 3: Ultimate Texas Showdown 3 | 11/26/2005 | 2 | 0:17 | |
| Win | Jimmy Ambriz | Submission (Punches) | WEC 17: Halloween Fury 4 | 10/14/2005 | 1 | 4:13 | |
| Loss | Ron Waterman | Decision (Unanimous) | WEC 16: Clash of the Titans 2 | 8/18/2005 | 3 | 5:00 | For WEC Super Heavyweight Championship |
| Win | Andy Montana | Submission (Armbar) | IE: Independent Event | 7/15/2005 | 1 | 1:50 | |
| Win | Ruben Villareal | Submission (Armbar) | Extreme Wars: X-1 | 7/02/2005 | 1 | 2:38 | |
| Win | Scott Junk | Submission (Front Choke) | ROTR 7: Rumble on the Rock 7 | 5/07/2005 | 2 | 0:42 | |
| Win | Mike Seal | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | MMA Mexico: Day 2 | 12/18/2004 | 1 | 1:06 | |
| Loss | Pedro Rizzo | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 45: Revolution | 11/21/2003 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira | Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE: Total Elimination 2003 | 8/10/2003 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Tim Sylvia | TKO (Punches) | UFC 41: Onslaught | 2/28/2003 | 1 | 3:09 | Lost UFC Heavyweight Championship |
| Win | Randy Couture | Submission (Elbow) | UFC 39: The Warriors Return | 9/27/2002 | 5 | 3:04 | Won UFC Heavyweight Championship (Vacant) |
| Win | Tsuyoshi Kohsaka | TKO (Punches) | UFC 37: High Impact | 5/10/2002 | 2 | 3:25 | |
| Win | Jeff Monson | TKO (Punches) | UFC 35: Throwdown | 1/11/2002 | 3 | 3:00 | |
| Win | Pete Williams | TKO (Strikes) | UFC 34: High Voltage | 11/02/2001 | 2 | 4:02 | |
| Win | Andrei Arlovski | TKO (Punches) | UFC 32: Showdown in the Meadowlands | 6/29/2001 | 3 | 1:23 | |
| Win | Paul Buentello | Submission (Kneebar) | KOTC 7: Wet and Wild | 2/24/2001 | 2 | 4:21 | Defended KOTC Openweight Superfight Championship |
| Win | John Marsh | Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE 12: Cold Fury | 12/09/2000 | 2 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Takayuki Okada | Submission (Smother Choke) | PRIDE 10: Return of the Warriors | 8/27/2000 | 1 | 6:04 | |
| Win | Gary Goodridge | Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE 9: New Blood | 6/04/2000 | 2 | 10:00 | |
| Win | Travis Fulton | Submission (Armbar) | KOTC 2: Desert Storm | 2/05/2000 | 1 | 4:49 | Won KOTC Openweight Superfight Championship |
| Win | Sam Adkins | Submission (Choke) | Armageddon: Armageddon 2 | 11/23/1999 | 1 | 4:32 | |
| Loss | Bobby Hoffman | KO (Punches) | SB 13: SuperBrawl 13 | 9/07/1999 | 1 | 3:13 | |
| Win | Steve Shaw | Submission (Armbar) | RITC 6: Rage in the Cage 6 | 7/10/1999 | 1 | 1:34 | |
| Win | Rocky Batastini | Submission (Armbar) | EC: Extreme Cage | 3/25/1999 | 1 | 4:58 | |
| Win | Scott Adams | Decision | EC: Extrem Cage | 3/25/1999 | 3 | 4:00 | |
Biography
Rodriguez wrestled in high school while living in New York. He later moved to California and began training in the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with Rigan and Jean Jacques Machado. He competed and won many Jiu Jitsu tournaments before moving on to MMA.
Rodriguez has a daughter, has appeared on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, Human Weapon where he faced Bill Duff in a draw, and also appears in some bonus footage of the The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr DVD.
Mixed Martial Arts Career
In 1997, Ricco Rodriguez became the first American to win a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championship. He won the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in the Absolute (open weight) division in 1998. 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).
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 title shot against heavyweight champion 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.
After this loss, he was dispatched to represent the UFC in PRIDE for a matchup between the former PRIDE champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (whom he had previously beaten in a submission grappling match). Despite throwing several flying knees and taking down Nogueira several times, he lost the fight. Nogueira's multiple submission attempts and active attack were judged to be the determining factor in the match. Matt Hume, on the behalf of himself and the other judges, issued an explanation of the judging of the fight with approval of Pride FC's Rules Director, Yuji Shimata. It was intended to clear up confusion amongst fans, as the American broadcast commentators as well as guest commentator Mark Coleman (a former training partner of Rodriguez) were unfamiliar with the rules and believed that Rodriguez had won.
Rodriguez fought his final match for the UFC at UFC 45 in a preliminary card match against Pedro Rizzo. In what he describes "one of the best prelim bouts ever had," Rodriguez lost by decision.
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 350 pounds (160 kg). 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 300 pounds (140 kg), and was quoted as saying "I'm fat but I still got skills."
Following his win against Imani Lee on November, 17, 2006, Rodriguez was put under indefinite suspension by the California State Athletic Commission. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that Rodriguez had tested positive for both marijuana and cocaine was subsequently given a six month suspension for the failed drug test.
On July 27, 2007, Ricco Rodriguez, in his first fight after his suspension, defeated Lloyd Marshbanks by first round TKO at an event entitled MMAX 13 - MMA Xtreme 13, which was held in Puebla, Mexico. At the International Fight League 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. That event was canceled, however, the fight however was rescheduled for the inaugural Mixed Fighting Alliance (MFA) event, which Rodriguez lost by unanimous decision.
Rodriguez was announced as a participant in DREAM 15 where he would face Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem, but the fight was scratched when it was learned that Overeem had no interest in fighting for DREAM if there wasn't a title on the line. DREAM attempted to salvage Rodriguez's participation on the card, but none of the possible replacements believed they had enough time to get ready for the fight.
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 has a daughter who he raised for two years as a single father.
