“The Black Belt Slayer” is poised to make his first appearance in the UFC BJJ Bowl on Thursday night as Nicky Rodriguez faces Elder Cruz in the final non-title match at UFC BJJ 6.
The former Danaher Death Squad and current B-Team member has been a standout in the no-gi grappling world for years and is no stranger to competing at the Meta APEX, having made multiple appearances under the UFC Fight Pass Invitational banner. But his match with Cruz on Thursday represents his first foray under the UFC BJJ umbrella, with the 29-year-old expressing serious excitement about both the competition surface and the scoring criteria the promotion utilizes.