 |
Eddie Bravo: Beating A Gracie, UFC 10TH
Reported By: Boxing Insider - 02/01/2005 06:02 PM
Boxinginsider.com: Am I right here? You are the only American to submit a Gracie?
Eddie Bravo: In competition . . . Yes, that's correct.
Photo: Joshua Hedges/UFC.tv
Boxinginsider.com: Can you tell us about that?
Eddie Bravo: I went to Brazil and competed in the Abu Dhabi Championship where I faced Royler Gracie. I caught him in a triangle choke and made him submit. I don't think he had ever been scored upon in the Abu Dhabi World Championships. Not only did I score some points against him, but I submitted him! It was pretty epic.
Boxinginsider.com: Do you have any interest in competing professionally in the Ultimate Fighting Championship?
Eddie Bravo: Well, I don't have any interest in fighting in MMA for the money that a fighter who doesn't have experience would make. I practice Jiu-Jitsu because it's fun. I didn't study Jiu-Jitsu for more than nine years and get good at it because it was good for my health or it was a good thing to know for self defense. I consistently have stuck with it because it's so much fun. I love it! It's the ultimate hobby. I'm addicted. I just happened to get really good at it. I didn't plan on beating Royler. Two years ago, I didn't plan on competing in Abu Dhabi -- it kind of just happened. I won the trials and, if you win the trials, you go to Brazil and compete.
In MMA it's so hard to take people down now. Everyone's take-down defense is really good and the round is five minutes. You've got to be really good at wrestling and you've got to be pretty good at stand-up too. You have to train at kickboxing, wrestling, three or four times a week, wake up and run -- like Randy Couture. All that for a couple of grand? It’s not worth it to me. I can make that kind of money doing a seminar -- which I don't have to prepare for and get nervous for. If someone offered me twenty five grand I'd do it -- no problem. I'd jump right in the octagon. But for two, three, four, five thousand, it's just not worth it for me. I'd have to change my whole lifestyle.
I don't like kickboxing even though I did a little bit of it before. I wrestled in high school and I don't like wrestling. I just like getting people on the ground and choking them out. That's it. I don't care who gets the take-down. I let people take me down, it doesn't matter to me.
I don't want to kick-box and risk being damaged or risk losing teeth unless there's enough cash in it. I like watching it, though! I love watching MMA. It's the greatest. But to actually compete in it, you just have to change your whole lifestyle. Right now, I don't really have to.
Boxinginsider.com: Well, where do you see Ken Shamrock fitting in the UFC picture?
Eddie Bravo: I have no idea what Zuffa' is planning on doing with Ken Shamrock. He's a big draw still. I wouldn't mind seeing him again. Bring him back, if it's going to add to the pay-per-view numbers. He's not a joke. He's a legitimate fighter. He still has a few fights left in him and I'm sure the general public, especially the casual fan, would like to see him fight.
Boxinginsider.com: What are your thoughts going into UFC 45 -- the 10th anniversary show?
Eddie Bravo: I look forward to every UFC. This one happens to be the ten-year anniversary, so it's pretty special. It's been exactly ten years since the UFC changed the way the world looks at martial arts. They changed everything. It's come a long way in ten years, as far as influencing the way people fight.
It's evolved so much. It used to be really easy to take your opponent down and choke him out. Now, it's much harder. People are really training their take-down defense. You can't come in as just a Jiu-Jitsu fighter and expect to be the champion. You might win some fights, but overall the only way to get to the top is to have at least two of the phases mastered -- there's kickboxing, wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu. If you're a really good wrestler with excellent Jiu-Jitsu skills, you can get away with not being a really good kick-boxer. And, if you're really good at kickboxing and strong at wrestling, you can get away without knowing too much Jiu-Jitsu.
That's what's happened to the sport -- it's changed so much in ten years. Ten years down the road, it's going to be even crazier. Fighters are going to be good at all three phases, really good! It really is like a triathlon -- you've got to be good at all three.
Six weeks out, I'm getting excited. I wish there was a UFC every weekend. It'd be fantastic (or every other day). That'd be great.
Boxinginsider.com: Thank you very much.
JewelryGuy.com - Factory Direct gold & Diamond Jewelry, Rings, Earrings, Bracelets - Find The Perfect Gift!!
Ken Shamrock's Lion's Den Clothing - T Shirts, Skull caps, Sweatshirts, and More! Check out the NEW Lion's Den University Shirts! (>>)
WrestlingDotCom.com - Pro Wrestling News & More!
|
|
 |
|
Poll script here |
|
