Positive energy helps Ricco Rodriguez battle the odds

TAMPA - Ricco Rodriguez is choosing to stand and fight.

As easy as it could have been to turn and run from his past, quietly tucking away the pieces of his life deemed unsavory, he's made the decision to face it head-on.

After joining the first season of Celebrity Rehab on VH1 with Dr. Drew Pinsky, Rodriguez laid everything on the line. He told of being abused as a child and wrecking his car, severely injuring his girlfriend. He recounted the fight that landed the two in jail and his then-1-year-old son in protective custody. All of which came at the hands of alcohol and drugs.

"Coming from New York and not having a lot of money, moving out when I was 17 and going through trials and tribulations just like I'm sure a lot of people have, to reach that successes and not have a mentor look over you and say, hey, this is the right path to go down and this is the wrong path to go down," Rodriguez admitted.

"My father was taken from me at a young age and the truth of the matter is I didn't have anybody here to tell me right form wrong. I learned from hands on experience."

Not long after shocking Mixed Martial Arts fans with his verbal submitting of Ultimate Fighting Championship legend Randy Couture in UFC 39 in 2002 and winning the heavyweight title, things went awry.

That hands on experience included a Las Vegas mansion, cars, women and recreational drug abuse. He became the first UFC fighter suspended for cocaine abuse after testing positive for both cocaine and marijuana. Time in therapy, which included Celebrity Rehab, has led to 2 1/2 years drug free.

Tonight, he faces another demon: The state of Florida.

Rodriguez (35-10) will face Port St. Lucie's Mario Rinaldi (8-2) in WFC's "Battle of the Bay 8" at the University of South Florida's Sun Dome. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the action begins at 8. A portion of the proceeds will go to Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America.

See, it's not totally Rinaldi that poses as that career hurdle. In his previous three MMA appearances in the Sunshine State, Rodriguez has walked away with three losses. His last bout in the state came December 13 in Miami where he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Jeff Monson, someone he beat by technical knockout in 2002.

"You start questioning your ability and I'm superstitious," Rodriguez said. "I just haven't had any luck in Florida. I try to dot all my Is and cross my Ts, so to speak, and do the right thing. I'm just focused. I fought two weeks ago against a gentleman in Tyler, Texas and I got a win. So for me that takes away a lot of the nervousness."

Making matters more interesting is the fact Rinaldi trains at American Top Team, the same Coconut Creek gym Monson uses.

Since weathering life's storms, Rodriguez, a Staten Island native, has re-introduced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practices into his life. It's an art he was introduced to by Jean Jacques and Rigan Machado, cousins of the legendary Gracie family, while living in California.

"For me, it really changed my whole life," Rodriguez said. "It's funny because it was like a temple. I would go in there and I would train, everyone was respectful. It took me 10 years to get a black belt. There were times when I was a purple or brown [belt] and I would leave and come back and I noticed when I was doing the bad things, I wasn't training Jiu-Jitsu. Now that my life is positive again, I go back to training with the Machado brothers, who are in Tarzana, Calif., the ones in Dallas, Texas. It's like going back to see your fathers, or seeing your cousins, your family, all the people you trained with.

"Jiu-Jitsu became a lifestyle for me. They really promote eating healthy, training, being good to the people around you."

One would be naive to believe his past experiences have transformed him into a more aggressive fighter inside the cage. Many use bad experiences as a form of motivation, a means to summons up a rage. That isn't his thing.

"For me, I've lived around the world, I've trained in Brazil, I've trained in Japan, all across America, one of the things I've learned in life is energies," he said. "Whether you are religious or not, one thing I believe is if you put out bad energy, somewhere in this universe, it will come back to you. So my whole philosophy is to always be composed and patient. And when you're in the cage, you never want to lose that composure because the minute you get angry, that will take over and then the real athlete will not prevail."

As far as Rodriguez is concerned, he's conquered those past setbacks, now's he's eager to beat that Florida jinx in addition to Rinaldi.

"For me, I like my back against the wall," he said. "I feel great doing positive things, making a difference, telling kids and other people out there, look, I've made the mistakes, I've learned from them. Everybody is going to make their own choices, but it's about the man who makes the comeback and the man who makes the difference on the situation he's put in and that's where I feel like I'm at in my life."

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS

WHAT: WFC Battle of the Bay 8

Former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez headlines the show and will face Mario Rinaldi in the main event. A portion of the proceeds will go to Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America.

WHEN: Tonight at 8 (doors open at 7)

WHERE: USF Sun Dome

TICKETS: $25-$75

FIGHTS: Main event: Ricco Rodriguez vs. Mario Rinaldi. Undercard: Rob Castellano (Port St. Lucie) vs. Mark Brown (Tampa), Caleb Archer (Miami) vs. Jean Dejesus (Tampa), Juan Aguirre (Jacksonville) vs. Eric Koveric (Orlando), James Wynn (Port St. Lucie) vs. Giovanni Moljo (Miami), Oscar Reyes (Oviedo) vs. Joshua Bacallao (Ocala), Matt McCook (Indian Harbour) vs. Alex Caceres (Miami), Eric Luke (Vero Beach) vs. Ralph Acosta (Orlando), Chris Manuel (Margate) vs. Farhad Sharipov (Kissimmee)