In a recent podcast interview, elite Brazilian jiu-jitsu athlete Nick Rodriguez openly discussed the issue of performance-enhancing drug use in the sport.

Rodriguez stated that some top competitors have plateaued in skill and athleticism and are relying on PEDs to maintain an edge. Meanwhile, at just 25 years old and five years into his jiu-jitsu career, Rodriguez believes he is still rapidly improving through natural training alone.

“The ster*ids are making people that are not gifted seem like they’re incredibly strong when they’re just injecting themselves,”

“I’m one of only a few guys that are, like, freak athletes in the sport. And as the sport gets more Americanized, they’re gonna be more intelligent and better athletes coming towards jujitsu, they don’t need ster-ids to have the strength, the speed, the athleticism, the mental acuity to to improve and and to compete.”

Rather than use PEDs to “keep up” like others in the sport, Rodriguez aims to lead by example, proving that world-class skill can be achieved through hard work and raw talent. If Rodriguez lives up to his confident words and dethrones legends known or rumored to use PEDs, he could inspire a culture shift in jiu-jitsu. Rodriguez shows early signs of being the prodigy to change the status quo. At just 20 years old, he took 2nd place at the ADCC after only 14 months of jiu-jitsu training.

In a different segment of the podcast, Rodriguez revealed he grew up riding dirt bikes and developing a passion for motocross. However, when he decided to dedicate himself fully to the grappling art, he knew sacrifices would be required.

At just 20 years old, Rodriguez committed to intense daily training under the tutelage of legendary coach John Danaher in New York City. However, Rodriguez resided in southern New Jersey, requiring a commute of 2.5 to 5 hours each way based on traffic conditions.

“I decided to start driving up there consistently every day. Sometimes it was a 6 to 8 hour round trip,” explained Rodriguez on selling his beloved dirt bike to fund his jiu-jitsu career ambitions. The costs of gas, tolls and daily parking fees ran Rodriguez over $100 per day by his estimates. Still determined, he drained his savings and sold off possessions – including his prized 2016 Yamaha YZ450 dirt bike.

“That was a sad time, letting the bike go,” admitted Rodriguez. “But it was necessary. And I knew in my heart that this is something I needed to do.” His sacrifices paid off, as after just 14 months of focused training, Rodriguez took 2nd place at the prestigious ADCC Submission Fighting World Championships. This launched him into stardom and afforded him sponsorship deals to continue pursuing the sport full-time.