Pool service man Juan Uribe and his boss, Michael Caccavella, didn’t take off on a green light quickly enough for Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter Fernando Rodrigues, behind them in a Hummer.
Monday afternoon’s incident, along a busy stretch of North State Road 7 in Coral Springs, soon escalated. Before Uribe, 25, of Coconut Creek, could calm things down, Rodrigues, 31, who has served two military tours in Iraq, allegedly pistol-whipped him in the face, then placed him in a wresting hold by the side of the road.
He gets behind us and is tailgating and is honking his horn like crazy, said Uribe. Then my boss pulls to the side and calls the cops. He didn’t leave. He gets behind us and points a gun at us. He hit my boss with a gun.
I got out of my car and I said I don’t want to get shot. He points a gun at me and comes around. He hits me in the face with the gun. I couldn’t see it coming.
I think my boss might have had a gun too, but he had a permit for it. And it didn’t matter because we were attacked and beaten before my boss tried to find his gun. Then all I remember is the police coming. Right now I can’t go to work. I got bills to pay. I think first of all, he shouldn’t have used a gun. If he was mad, he should have just used his hands.
Caccavella said Tuesday that he came close to shooting Rodrigues in order to help his assistant.
“I was ready to shoot him and do everyone on earth a favor. I pulled the trigger, but realized I didn’t have one in the chamber,” said Caccavella, 54, of Lake Worth. “This could’ve ended really bad for everyone.”
Among the charges against Rodrigues, are three counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon — his hands.
Caccavella had a black eye and a gash on his cheek. Uribe had fractured bones around his left eye.
Rodrigues, who runs a MMA training facility in Aventura, appeared in bond court early Tuesday, where his attorney tried to argue for a lower bond. But Assistant State Attorney Eric Linder successfully argued that Rodrigues’ hands and feet should be considered deadly weapons and he should be jailed without bond.
According to Caccavella, Rodrigues began driving aggressively behind the men after they pulled out of the light. Caccavella said that when he tried to pull into another lane, Rodrigues pointed a gun and yelled obscenities.
Caccavella said he pulled over to call police. As Caccavella was dialing 911, Rodrigues allegedly walked up to Caccavella’s truck window and struck him in the face with a gun. He allegedly struck Uribe with the gun as well.
Caccavella said he then drew his gun and saw Rodrigues kicking and punching Uribe. The fighter then allegedly placed Uribe in a wrestling hold. Caccavella said police arrived just as he pulled his trigger.
CagePotato spoke with American Top Team co-founder and main academy head coach Ricardo Liborio about the case, and he expressed his dismay and concern over the incident and stressed that, contrary to the erroneous statement made by the prosecutor about his role with ATT, Fernandes does not fight under their banner, nor does he train under him. Liborio is hopeful that although Fernandes’ facility was technically affiliated with his revered gym and the ATT brand, the unfortunate and appalling incident will not reflect poorly on his camp, as it shouldn’t.
Fernando Rodrigues is NOT a co-founder of American Top Team, nor is he an American Top Team fighter, Liborio clarified to CagePotato.com. He has never fought for or represented American Top Team. His only involvement is an investor in an affiliated academy in Aventura, Florida.
