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Interview w/MMA Legend Royce Gracie (Part 3)
Reported By: Boxing Insider - 09.10.2003 02:12 AM
Part III- Boxing Insider Talks With MMA Legend, Royce Gracie
Reported By: Chris Colderley -
BoxingInsider.com: Actually, you raise an interesting point. A lot of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu techniques, like the rear mount, even the mount aren’t nearly as effective anymore (probably because of the rules). Are the rules in MMA killing the chances for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighters?
Royce Gracie: Not at all. Nogueira is still up there. I have a couple of fighters that I am bringing up . . . young kids. There are a lot of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu guys still up there.
But today . . . the difference between today and the beginning of the UFC is, when it started, the first UFC, it was a style against a style. There was Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu against kickboxing. There was Sumo wrestling against Savate . . . Kung Fu against Tae Kwon Do. It was one style against one style. Today, it’s a little different. It’s who is better prepared. It’s a fighter against a fighter. Everybody does everything so don’t tell me that Sakuraba doesn’t do Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I know he’s learning.
A lot of those guys come up to me, "Man, thanks for making those video tapes: The Basics. They have been helping me out a lot."
Ricco does a lot of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu - a brown belt or black belt from my country - Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Mirko 'Cro Cop' I know for a fact, is learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from a friend of mine - a Brazilian friend of mine - teaches him right now. All those guys: Sakuraba; Vanderlei.
Today it’s changed. Who is better prepared? Who does better homework? Who is more in shape? Who is physically, better conditioned to go to the end and win the fight. Who is more all-around? Who can step up in grappling? Who can kick, punch, and do an arm bar.
Photo: Zuffa LLC/UFC.tv
BoxingInsider.com: Is that your fault? Is that part of your influence: your dominance?
Royce Gracie: It’s my father’s fault. I was just the vehicle. Jiu-Jitsu is made for the little guy to defend himself against the big guy, but today we see a guy like Bob Sapp learning how to do a choke, learning how to do an arm lock. I saw Bob Sapp - he’s 375 pounds, mounted on an opponent, the opponent lifted his arm up - 375 pounds - [he] put his leg over and did a straight arm bar from the mounted position. You are telling me that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is over? [Laughing]
Man, it’s just naughty. The little guy has to learn to defend himself against the big guy, but now the big guy has to learn so that he will defeat the little guy.
BoxingInsider.com: Everybody has always said [about the big guys], 'He has a puncher’s chance.' Once the big guys learn BJJ, what’s left? How does the little guy defend himself against somebody who’s big and has some technique?
Royce Gracie: Strategy. Hey, I’m 180 pounds. Let’s go for a run. Three hundred and seventy-five pounds, let’s go for a run. I’ll take Bob Sapp for a run . . . I’ll see how long he can run. I can outlast him; therefore, I can outfight him. But, it has to be with no time limits so I can tie him up. I would stand no chance fighting in the heavyweight division with a time limit. Put in a 15 minute round and I would have lost my fight to Dan Severn. Thank God there was no time limit. We fought for 16½ minutes. If it was a 15 minute round, I would have lost. He was on top of me pinning me down the whole time – 15 minutes. At 16½ minutes, I choked him out. That’s why I like to fight with no time limits. I mean, no rules, until somebody quits.
BoxingInsider.com: Royce, how do you feel about the Pride Organization since the Yoshida fight? I am assuming that you saw the last Yoshida fight on Sunday [August 10, 2003].
Royce Gracie: It was a setup!
BoxingInsider.com: Oh, it was a work?
Royce Gracie: Yeah.
BoxingInsider.com: What about in your fight [with Yoshida]?
Royce Gracie: It was black-and-white on the contract: the referee is not allowed to stop the fight. The referee broke the contract when he stopped the fight.
When a fighter calls, "Hey Ref, he’s down, stop the fight."
The referee says, "OK. I am going to stop the fight."
It’s like me walking into the ring . . . to box Mike Tyson. The round starts, I look at the ref and say, "Hey Ref, I don’t think he’s really in the condition to fight me. You better stop the fight."
The referee steps in, "Really?"
He stops the fight? Like, come on!
BoxingInsider.com: Has that fight finished you with the Pride Organization?
Royce Gracie: I want one more.
BoxingInsider.com: Who do you want to fight?
Royce Gracie: Yoshida. I want to finish some business over there. Let’s say, “Potatoes in the oven cooking.”
BoxingInsider.com: Royce, in closing is there anything you would like to add.
Royce Gracie: My website is www.RoyceGracie.tv. I have all kinds of technology.
I have a book coming out. I have a book of self defense that’s out there, but I have another coming out because a lot people always ask me: Do you stretch? Do you do Yoga? Do you lift weights? How much weight do you do? Do you run? Do you swim? What kind of food would you eat before a fight – what you eat, don’t eat?
I’m making it like a nutrition, stretch, and condition book. I am teaching people what I do to get ready for a fight. I’ll fight for an hour and a half.
BoxingInsider.com: Good. Royce, thank you very much for your time, I know you are a very busy guy and I appreciate it.
Royce Gracie: You’re welcome.
BoxingInsider.com: And, I hope that I will get to see you in Atlantic City. I will be down there and I will say, “Hi.”
Royce Gracie: Tito fighting Randy Couture. That’s going to be a good fight. Man! I like both guys. They are both great guys. Personally, not just as fighters. I have met both of them personally. They are both very nice guys.
BoxingInsider.com: If you get a chance watch the Randy Couture – Chuck Liddell fight. You’ll be tremendously surprised.
Royce Gracie: Randy Couture wouldn’t surprise me.
BoxingInsider.com: I am hoping you’re in the November show.
Royce Gracie: No problem. See you over there.
Chris Colderley is a freelance writer and a boxinginsider.com contributor.
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