Fan of the Week Series: Staff Sergeant Erick Rodriguez

Growing up in a tough city like Chicago and spending a lot of time in the gym honing your boxing and jiu jitsu is enough to make you a bit of a bad ass. Spending your days and night fighting a war against a brutal and hate-filled regime in Afghanistan puts you in the category of ultimate bad ass.

Heavy Hands fan of the week Erick Rodriguez is a soldier in the United States Army and an extreme mixed martial arts (MMA) fan. Rodriguez is a hardnosed infantryman fighting on the front lines and making sacrifices for his country. Among his many sacrifices includes missing the birth of his second son, who he has still not met in person.

“The Army is probably the greatest organization on the planet,” Rodriguez said. “Nowhere else in the world will you find the dedication, professionalism and camaraderie that you will in the military. Not just the Army. I think it’s a privilege and honor to be able to be here and do what I do.”

As for his favorite MMA fighter, Rodriguez has a hard time narrowing it down, but it’s clear he has a lot of respect for the sport and the accomplishments of the top fighters.

“I’d have to say my favorite fighters are a close tie between Frank Shamrock, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Tim Kennedy,” Rodriguez said. “Shamrock because he was really the best of his time, Shogun because I loved how he fought in PRIDE with that crazy intensity (not to mention that sweet KO at UFC 113) and Tim Kennedy because we’re both soldiers and I can appreciate what he’s doing both inside and outside of the cage.”

Rodriguez does not just like to sit on the sidelines and watch a good fight, he is not afraid to mix it up if pushed. He recalls as story when several of his Army friends were confronted by some drunken college kids. The college kids stated a brawl with Rodriguez and his friends, which caused him to unleash what his friends describe as his “Ultimate Ninja Experience.” The fight broke out as Rodriguez was in a store, but the instant he saw the crowd fighting he didn’t hesitate to defend his friends.

“I ran up to the crowd and leapt into the air, reaching over several people to grab this kid that punched our friend,” he said. “While mid air and holding onto this kid’s collar I proceeded to throw down some heavy hands (a right hook in particular…several of them) onto this kid thus resulting in what has been described as a wicked knock out. What made it so ninja was that I clocked this guy probably four or five times in the confusion and then disappeared.”

Rodriguez will be back in the states in late August to meet his new son and watch Tim Kennedy fight for the Strikeforce middleweight title. Until then he will continue to fight for his country in Afghanistan. Heavy Hands is proud to honor Rodriguez as our first fan of the week.

~Tip

Tippy is the Heavy Hands blogger and can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .