(This dude’s Marked for Death…)
Count Ricco Rodriguez as one of the growing number of fighters under the hypnotizing spell of Steven Seagal.
In a recent interview the beleaguered former UFC heavyweight champion did with Bleacher Report, Rodriguez detailed his first meeting with the “Hard to Kill” 7th Dan Aikido master.
“I’ve always been a fan of Steven Seagal’s. I’ve always admired his acting skills and even as I got older and started chasing some of my own personal goals. Because when I was a kid, I watched the Bruce Lee movies and going to Japan, living in Japan and training at the Takada dojo, traveling to Brazil, there was somewhat a similar situation to me and Seagal. So, getting to meet a person such as him, if I can explain to you how phenomenal his energy was, I can’t explain it unless you were because you just feel how motivating he is and how presentable he is. He’s a phenomenal person and a great guy.”
It didn’t take Rodriguez long to follow in the footsteps of other fighters like Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida become a believer.
“He moves like a cat and when he was demonstrating a couple of moves you could feel his power and his energy. I was like ‘yeah, I’m going to pay attention’, because he was moving me around like a lightweight and you can have your opinion, but the truth is Anderson Silva gives thanks and praise to Steven Seagal. You have to be respectful to him and mixed martial arts is exactly what it is, mixed martial arts. It’s many different styles, many different forms, many different philosophies, in conjunction with all these different styles you can be a better athlete. You have to be respectful to the older martial artist.”
Well, I guess it’s safe to say that Ricco Rodriguez is probably going to win back his UFC strap now. RIP UFC heavyweight division. “Suave” has put your asses on notice that he’s Out for Justice.