Mervin Rodriguez, a guy we’re used to seeing in the octagon decided to try something a little different. He entered the 170lbs Intermediate Division at the NAGA event on Saturday May 2, 2009 in Edison, NJ. (NAGA stands for North American Grappling Association.) Grappling is different from MMA in that there are no strikes, focusing instead on holds. Honing ones grappling skills would certainly help you out in the MMA ring.

It was ‘must win’ tournament style competition. Meaning you must keep winning every match to advance. He won his semi-final match by earning points on a takedown, and then continued to maintain control of his opponent for the rest of the 5 minute round. In the finals, he started with a 4-0 lead, with a takedown and side control. After that, his opponent ended up tying the match up to 4-4, taking the duo into overtime. While his opponent seemed to be losing steam in the over time, Mervin clearly demonstrated superior cardio, taking down the opposition in the opening seconds of the OT round, resulting in winning the 2009 North East Ground Fighting Championship gold medal!