Nicky Rodriguez scored his third-straight submission earlier tonight (Sat., Aug. 17, 2024) during Day 2 of the Craig Jones Invitational from inside Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, advancing to the over 80kg $1 million final with a semi-final, rear-naked choke over Adam Bradley.
On Friday, Rodriguez sparked the first-ever CJI event with a dominant rear-naked choke against Brazilian veteran Max Gimenis. “Nicky Rod” then followed that up with another successful rear-naked choke in a quarter-final showdown with Owen Livesey. The American grappler was riding a real high coming into Saturday.
Bradley may have lasted longer than his peers, but Rodriguez still found a window of opportunity in the third round to score his third-straight rear-naked choke finish at CJI. It was pretty impressive and another standout performance for the two-time ADCC World Championship silver medalist.
Check out the video highlights below:
Nicky Rod scores his third submission at #CJI to advance to the finals pic.twitter.com/oWBDF0rIKL
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) August 18, 2024
Rodriguez, 27, will now advance to tonight’s final with a chance to win a briefcase full of $1 million. “Nicky Rod” will fight Fellipe Andrew after he submitted Inacio Santos in the other semi-final matchup.
For official CJI: Day 2 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.