Renzo Gracie has had success finding replacements this season, especially in the playoffs. Middleweight Jim Miller and my man Deividas Taurosevcius, a lightweight, came up huge against the Sabres in the August 2 semis and catapulted the Pitbulls into the IFL Finals. It seems now that Gracie may have found his biggest replacement to date.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez is set to fill in for an injured Tom Sauer and face Quad Cities Silverbacks' Ben Rothwell, who has been dominant in IFL competition, at the September 20 finals. Rodriguez certainly represents the step up in veteran competition that I (and plenty of IFL fans) have been hoping to see for Rothwell.
It's cool to see that Renzo Gracie is sticking with tradition (a Pitbulls tradition, at least) and using a local guy as a sub; Rodriquez is originally from Staten Island. Even cooler is that Ricco has been sober and training. The Fight Network reports that Ricco participated in a VH1 reality TV series called Celebrity Rehab, and he credits his recent sobriety to his involvement with the show.
For more on Ricco Rodriguez debuting in the IFL, click here.
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