Nicky Rodriguez burst onto the Jiu-Jitsu scene a few years ago as a fresh-faced John Danaher blue belt who tore his way through the ADCC trials, and his younger brother seems to be following in his footsteps. Over the years, Rodriguez has garnered a reputation as one of the scariest grapplers in the biggest weight-classes by using his superior wrestling skills and the BJJ skills learned from the legendary Danaher to outwork Jiu-Jitsu athletes that have years more experience than him. His younger brother Jacob has only recently taken up Jiu-Jitsu, but already looks as though he’s going to follow that same trajectory.
It’s very, very early days yet for Jacob of course as he’s apparently only been training in Jiu-Jitsu for around 6 weeks so far. That being said, at this point in their career, the majority of grapplers are still trying to figure out how to tie their belt and just about starting to grasp the basic concepts like base, or posture. The younger Rodriguez brother on the other hand, has already entered his first BJJ competition and went 2-2, showing a strong bodylock passing game along the way.
This shouldn’t really be much of a surprise considering that he’s already got a strong wrestling background, just like his brother Nicky Rodriguez. Despite his age, he’s already become a two-time state and regional champion in Wrestling, competing in front of audiences with hundreds of attendees. Not just that, but he has the added benefit of training under one of the best Jiu-Jitsu coaches available at the blue basement and a readily available sparring partner at home who has already won an ADCC medal.
We may be getting ahead of ourselves here but it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on Jacob Rodriguez and seeing what happens in his already blossoming wrestling career, and whether he turns his eye to Jiu-Jitsu full time like Nicky has. When all is said and done, he’s already got one of the best platforms to find success in the sport and he’s less than two months in.
Follow Jacob Rodriguez on Instagram here to see how he comes along.
