Royce Gracie: willing to fight again for the UFC

VolcomX311

VolcomX311

Legend
Forty-four year-old mixed martial legend, Royce Gracie has revealed he’s be willing to step into the octagon one final time if called upon for the UFC’s return to Brazil in August of next year, explaining he never retired and he’s open for negotiations.

Speaking at yesterday’s press conference in Rio de Janeiro, Gracie said:
“I’m still thinking (on fighting in Rio). But I’m always training. This return of UFC to Brazil touched me, made me feel the wish of coming back to the octagon. Everything has being negotiated with Dana White. Let’s wait.”

Gracie was the original UFC champion when he won the very first eight-man, one-night tournament back in the day. He went on to win another two tournaments after that, proving size and strength wasn’t always necessary to get the job done in the combat sports world. Stay tuned to MMABay for more as it develops as we get it.
Click to expand...

Invalid Link Removed
 
Wow that would be cool. He was the first mma fighter I ever saw back in the early 90's when you could only watch mma on pay per view.
 
sw bill said:
Wow that would be cool. He was the first mma fighter I ever saw back in the early 90's when you could only watch mma on pay per view.
Click to expand...

He was awesome in his day but the world of mma has evolved and he has not.He did a little come back a few years ago against matt hughs and matt hughs destroyed him..I think royce gracies dominating days are long gone.
 
AntonG42O said:
damn right he can, the nastiest black belt to ever step foot in the octagon. his fights against kimo and shamrock inspired me to start doing BJJ three years ago.
Click to expand...

AW you'd choke him out 4 seconds into the first round.:happysad:
But seriously he'll always be a legend.Let's just hope he dosen't do anything stupid like challenge george st. pierre.:fool2:
 
He wouldn't get the shot even if he did challenge GSP. I don't see Royce being able to handle anyone who is currently relevant, but of course, all due respect to his legacy in MMA.
 
i'll never forget the kimo fight, it introduced me to the resilience of jiujitsu. he was on the bottom gettin rocked by bare knucks by a much bigger dude but he never quit, just kept grabbing kimo's pony tail and working his armbars. most people dont understand what kind of effort it takes to throw submissions over and over again while getting pummeled. the never give up attitude is what i love about the sport more than anything.
 
AntonG42O said:
i'll never forget the kimo fight, it introduced me to the resilience of jiujitsu. he was on the bottom gettin rocked by bare knucks by a much bigger dude but he never quit, just kept grabbing kimo's pony tail and working his armbars. most people dont understand what kind of effort it takes to throw submissions over and over again while getting pummeled. the never give up attitude is what i love about the sport more than anything.
Click to expand...

And that's when if they kept winning they had to fight 4 guys in one night.
 
And there was no weight classes Royce had to fight some guys almost 100 pounds heavier than himself.INCREDIBLE
 
I mean yeah granted nobody really knew how to grapple in the early early UFCs, Kimo said to have taken some grappling. there was also a beast of a man Keith Hackney hahahha but it was also bare knuckle no rules fights which should have theoretically taken away Royce's advantage
 
AntonG42O said:
i'll never forget the kimo fight, it introduced me to the resilience of jiujitsu. he was on the bottom gettin rocked by bare knucks by a much bigger dude but he never quit, just kept grabbing kimo's pony tail and working his armbars. most people dont understand what kind of effort it takes to throw submissions over and over again while getting pummeled. the never give up attitude is what i love about the sport more than anything.
Click to expand...

That never give up attitude also had a lot to do with his Brasilian pride. Brasilian fighters are tough and proud.
 
I love the guy, but he's past his prime! The fighters today are so well rounded compared to back then.
 
I have no interest in watching him fight anymore. His BJJ, while very respected, is somewhat archaic by today's standards (lack of wrestling, footlocks, etc.). His salary demands would be extremely high and wouldn't be worth it from a fighting perspective, but, perhaps, it would be through marketing. If he were to get an offer, then it would have to be against someone who is also past his prime that could garner some interest. Him v Wallid Ismail would have a nice BJJ undertone (Wallid choked out Royce in the late-90's) and Wallid is a very polarizing figure. Add in the fact that he and Joe Silva have a solid business relationship and you can see the possibility increase.
 
Rodja said:
I If he were to get an offer, then it would have to be against someone who is also past his prime that could garner some interest. .
Click to expand...

Tito Ortiz

Its a win/win. Either Royce wins and all the BJJ people and Tito haters are happy or Tito wins and can finally retire.
 
spool said:
Tito Ortiz

Its a win/win. Either Royce wins and all the BJJ people and Tito haters are happy or Tito wins and can finally retire.
Click to expand...

yea i duno about that, royce is past 40 so his 170 probably wouldnt do well against a 225
 
Aleksandar37 said:
Past his prime and once the Gracie's began offering belts online, I've lost all respect.
Click to expand...

yea i saw that, you fill out a form saying you've completed this many mat hours and you get a belt. pretty homo in my opinion. i mean anyone with a belt like that would get smashed at a regular school so who cares.
 
You can buy a belt anywhere.

To quote Royce, "A black belt only covers two inches of your ass; you have to cover the rest."
 
Rodja said:
You can buy a belt anywhere.

To quote Royce, "A black belt only covers two inches of your ass; you have to cover the rest."
Click to expand...
Agreed, but Gracie students used to be able to name each other. It was something truly earned and sure the Gracies have done so much for the sport that they deserve to get paid, but this just cheapens the name. Can't say I wouldn't cash in though lol.
 
I can't say I would have much interest in seeing him fight anymore. I'd rather remember him as he was in his prime. He was a pioneer to the sport and the UFC owes him a great debt of gratitude IMO.
 
spimp187 said:
I can't say I would have much interest in seeing him fight anymore. I'd rather remember him as he was in his prime. He was a pioneer to the sport and the UFC owes him a great debt of gratitude IMO.
Click to expand...

Yeah I agree. And maybee some day we can watch his sons compete, if they evolve from pure gracie jiujitsu and learn everything that mma fighters know today.
 
vidapreta said:
Yeah I agree. And maybee some day we can watch his sons compete, if they evolve from pure gracie jiujitsu and learn everything that mma fighters know today.
Click to expand...

gracies compete in mma all the time. ryan was very good until he passed away. roger fights in strikeforce right now.
 
Ralek
Igor
Daniel
Roger

They've all been active in recent years. Hell, Renzo just fought this year, too. They live more off of their last name now in both MMA and submission grappling. Only Roger has been successful in the family in recent years. However, he's easily among the top-3 grapplers in the world right now (Drysdale, Jacare, Roger).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top