Nicky Rodriguez is gearing up for one of the biggest matches of his career – his long-awaited rematch with Kaynan Duarte at Who’s Number One 27, on April 18th.

In a recent interview with FloGrappling, Rodriguez took time to reflect not just on this upcoming match…
But also on a major decision in his recent competition history: choosing to compete at the Craig Jones Invitational instead of ADCC.

Rodriguez made history at CJI, walking away with a $1 million prize and a newfound spotlight.
When asked if skipping ADCC was a choice he regretted, especially with Duarte winning double gold there, he answered:

No, because we got so many more views.
You saw the YouTube got like almost 4 million views between the two days, so that was like absolutely incredible.

Rodriguez even admitted that he briefly considered a surprising return to ADCC just one day after winning CJI:

I gotta be honest, the moment I finished my finals…
I was looking at my phone – I was about to text Mo, like: “Hey, you should let me do the absolutes tomorrow.”

But I was, like – how tough would that be to go three days in a row?

As for his upcoming clash with Duarte, Rodriguez didn’t downplay the magnitude of the moment:

This is absolutely one of the most anticipated grappling matches, probably in the history of Jiu-Jitsu.
The only other one that comes closest is probably like the Gordon versus Pena dispute.

Duarte won their first bout at the 2019 ADCC final on points, and then submitted Rodriguez by Heel Hook just two weeks later.
But Rodriguez believes this version of himself is very different from the one Duarte last faced:

I was very green.

At the time I knew how to Knee Cut Pass and kind of how not to get Rea Naked Choked…
Now I’ve gained an abundance of knowledge and experience.

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