Jiu-jitsu phenom Nick Rodriguez will be one of the marquee names that will compete at the Polaris Absolute Grand Prix, which will see eight esteemed grapplers compete for a prize of $20,000 on April 4 at the International Convention Centre in Newport, Wales.
This is the first time that the U.K. grappling promotion has hosted a one-night tournament.
Also included on the list of competitors is ADCC champion Kaynan Duarte, the man who bested Rodriguez in the final of ADCC 2019. Duarte also took victory over Rodriguez when they contested a rematch at Fight 2 Win, two weeks after their ADCC gold medal match.
Rodriguez is best known to MMA fans for his recent decision win over Luke Rockhold at Polaris 12 in November 2019.
Luke Rockhold, #Polaris12'de Nick Rodriguez ile yaptığı grappling maçını puanla kaybetti. pic.twitter.com/4bT5T8BQcF
— MMA Günlüğü (@mmagunlugu) December 1, 2019
Although he competed at a high level in wrestling in high school and college, he is considered a prodigy in jiu-jitsu circles having only began his training in the martial art two years ago in 2018. He famously qualified for ADCC after just nine months of training as a blue belt. In his debut year at the prestigious tournament, he scored impressive wins over Mahamed Ali and “Cyborg” Abreu before losing to Duarte on points.
Rodriguez is currently undefeated under the Polaris banner with a record of 3-0.
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