Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez is a man who can fully appreciate the ups and downs that life has taken him through. It’s strikingly evident in the tone of Rodriguez’s voice that he is a man who is wise to the past mistakes he has made and also humbled and grateful for what the future still could hold for him.
One of the highlight’s of Rodriguez’ MMA career was at UFC 39, where he forced legendary Randy Couture to tap out with just two minutes remaining in the fifth round. That thrilling high was followed by a disappointing low, as Rodriguez would end up losing his title by first round knockout to Tim Sylvia at UFC 41 one bout later. Rodriguez’ life has taken a rollercoaster ride from that point on and he had to overcome a battle with drug addiction to get where it is today.
As he sat in his dressing room on Saturday, December 12th, just hours away from a showdown with dangerous Jeff Monson, Rodriguez opened up about his life and the trials and tribulations he has experienced along the way. While Rodriguez would end up losing his bout by Monson by a close decision, that doesn’t wash away the impact Rodriguez has when talking face to face. If one is to take the time to get to know him, they will see that Rodriguez is genuine in his approach and likeable because of how humbled he has remained.
While his loss to Monson was one that he will have to recover from, Rodriguez’ main imprint on the night of the 12th wasn’t his actions in the cage but more so his thoughts and perspectives just hours beforehand. That is the everlasting effect that Rodriguez had on this writer, and if he is to keep that same demeanor one could easily see him rising to the top yet again.
Read on to see what Rodriguez had to say about his early days as a youth, getting into mixed martial arts, his time with the Machados, overcoming drug addiction, and his thoughts towards the future. This is Ricco Rodriguez, in his own words…
Moments before Fighting Jeff Monson…
“I have my whole crew with me and they keep me at ease. I always travel with the same crew and I try to keep everything very relaxed and family oriented. I don’t try to change the rhythm of how things go. I’m 34 fights into my career and I am a lot different than I was ten years ago. Me and my team just like to relax, joke around, and the butterflies usually come when I am getting my hands wrapped. This is the best part of life, just being able to go out and perform.”
Changing Passion to Glory…
“I watched Rocky and Sly Stallone really portrayed the fighter lifestyle to a T. You get into this because you are passionate about it and after a while you start to move forward and change that passion to glory. After that comes the fame and the money but you have to balance that along with your friends and family. Everything you go through, the trials and the tribulations, is just part of the game and also part of life. For me it’s not over and I’m still on the journey of everything. “
The Battle of Life…
“Winning the UFC Belt against Randy Couture and then losing it against Tim Sylvia was really humbling to me. Coming from the projects in Patterson , New Jersey , not everybody like me has gotten to see what fame is like. I’ve just been through anything that you can imagine, from addiction problems to questioning whether or not my career could move forward. I’ve had to fight a lot of demons and put them behind and I’m just working towards becoming a better man more than anything else. I just know that I always have to be ready to fight, whether it is in the ring, the cage, or life itself. This is a battle that doesn’t stop and you have to be ready.”
Overcoming Addiction…
“My life is an open book. There isn’t anything that people can bring up about my life that is going to offend me in any way, shape, or form. I did have addiction problems in the past but the opportunity to overcome it all is something that came from me when a talent agent with VHI (Robert Rivetta) gave me a call about a show featuring Dr. Drew. I wasn’t going to pay $50,000.00 to go to rehab, but I welcomed that opportunity. I found someone who gave me the tools to realize my problems as well as the correct advice towards correcting myself. Rehab has been phenomenal for me and I have been sober for over 18 months. I look at guys like Robert Downey Jr., someone who had the same problem as I had, or ever worse, and he has been doing some great things lately. He just completed Iron Man. Look at Fergie, she also had a drug problem and she overcame that.”
Standing Up for his Child…
“My girl and I were involved in a domestic violence incident in California . My trail took place there and my child was taken from us to to human services. That really made me stand up and want to take my life back. I don’t care who you are, once your child is taken from you, you will do whatever you have to do to get them back. Just going through the whole process of getting my son back really opened my eyes and one of the key steps towards that was going to rehab. That opportunity is how everything has gotten put together again for me, from being on the Dr. Drew Show to getting my family back, everything has taken a turn for the better. And I feel that it has come at the right time.”
East Coast Influence…
“Like I said I was from Patterson and I graduated high school from Staten Island, New York. The East Coast just has a different style than the West Coast. All my boys are from the West Coast and I love them but East Coast everybody walks around with a chip on their shoulder and if you are from the neighborhood you end up scrapping a little bit more. As a Puerto Rican living in an Italian neighborhood, I just had a lot to deal with whether I was in or out of school. From fighting on the street I eventually turned that over into Martial Arts.”
Meeting the Machados…
“I met these Machados, were these five brothers from Brazil. The Machados are the cousins of the Gracies. Their father was a Machado and he was married to a Gracie. The reason I am explaining this is because they gave me a life changing opportunity to leave my ego at the door. That’s how I got into martial arts and into a different kind of fighting. Otherwise I’d still be on the streets fighting or be like the rest of my crew who are either in jail, on drugs, or dead. Martial Arts really gave me an opportunity to excel. I was a wrestler in high school and I did well in the state. Not everybody can afford to play football or hockey, so sports like wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu really gives kids a different outlet. It’s what really helped me. I’ve found ways to do these programs and it has really helped me.”
Real People…
“The people who are with me now are the same people who are with me when I wasn’t anywhere. These are the same people who were with me when I was fighting in Mexico getting beer bottles thrown at me. These people have been with me no matter what, as opposed to all the people who tried to get a hold of me only when I was at the top. Today, when I come back and do this again in the future, it’s going to be different because I am only going to have real people around me.”
Changed for the Better…
“Some of my best qualities is my familia. Every person in this room has been on this ride with me. I am like a kung fu master and I just go around spreading my philosophy. Listen, I have learned how not to be an arrogant prick. I’ve met people through all over the world and connected with them. What you see on TV sometimes doesn’t really portray you in the right light. I keep my friends close and tight and that’s just how I do things. I have a lot of love for people and I just try to stay down to earth. When I was nineteen years old it was a different story and I was just itching to get into trouble, but now that I am 31 I am a bit more grounded and I see things differently. I know that the things I have been through have changed me for the better.”
Appreciating Everything…
“We wouldn’t be having this conversation if I hadn’t truly changed myself, and if we were then I would probably be telling you a bunch of lies. When you are not in the right state of mind things can unravel for you. I got caught by the commission for marijuana and cocaine and when they took someone I loved away from me that really made me recognize just how wrong things were. I was losing my family and then I began to see my career falling away and something had to happen. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results and I was doing just that. Today, it’s awesome for me to be able to sit down and talk about my life because I know that I have truly changed myself. I am here to have fun with everything. You never know when you might not be able to do something again and I just try to stay appreciative of everything.”
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