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Royce Gracie: The Legend Comes Back To The House That He Built
By: Kal Thompson of boxinginsider.com
boxingthoughts@yahoo.com
Royce Gracie introduced himself, and the art of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, to the American world of mixed martial arts on the 12th of November in 1993. He stood just over 6 feet tall and weighed in at 176 lbs. Lanky and thin framed, Royce went on to dominate and defeat his opponents, some of whom outweighed him by more than 50 lbs. That single night, Royce Gracie faced three men in the first UFC tournament event and submitted them all. No gloves, no weight classes, no time limits, no judges, and virtually no rules. Three up, three down. A legend was born.
The year is now 2006. It has been well over a decade since Royce Gracie christened the caged walls of the UFC octagon. Royce's battles have taken him to Japan and back again. His accomplishments could fill a novel. His accolades are too numerous to mention. And his fighting spirit hasn't aged a bit. He recently shocked the mixed martial arts world by signing a contract that will bring him back to fight in the UFC...back to fight in the house that Royce built.
Kal: You have recently signed a contract with the UFC to fight their current, and most successful, welterweight champion, Matt Hughes. What are your thoughts on this upcoming fight?
Royce: Hughes is definitely a very worthy opponent. He's a very tough guy. Matt Hughes is very powerful. He's been dominating that weight division for a while, already. As you know, I've been fighting in Japan for the past five or six years with Pride and now K-1. It will be good to come back and fight in America. A lot of the American fans don't get a chance to see the fights that show only in Japan.
Kal: Who is the toughest opponent that you have ever faced?
Royce: Probably Sakuraba. We fought for an hour and a half, six rounds of 15 minutes.
Kal: Would you also list Sakuraba as the most skilled opponent that you have faced so far in your career?
Royce: Yes, Sakuraba as well. He is a very smart fighter, very smart.
Kal: What is your opinion of the UFC's evolution over the years?
Royce: I think that what I did in the past will never be repeated... fighting four fights in one night with no time limits and no weight divisions. You now fight two fights (in a night,) or one fight in a night with rounds and a time limit Back in those days there were no gloves, up to four fights in one night, with no divisions, and no time limits. That was tough. But that was a style against a style, and I proved that Jiu-Jitsu was the best style. Today, it's no longer a style against a style. You see wrestlers, judo guys, and grapplers knocking people out. You see stand-up fighters such as boxers and kick-boxers choking people out. It's about the athlete who is better prepared, the one who trains better for the fight, and the guy who can break the others game plan. I was there to prove something; and I showed that Jiu-Jitsu was the best style.
Kal: Which of your past mixed martial arts victories has been the most personally satisfying?
Royce: The fight against Dan Severn. In UFC 3, I could not continue due to dehydration. Everybody was saying that I was a fluke. Although I won the first and second UFC events, the third one I couldn't step out due to dehydration. In the fourth UFC, I came back; and when I fought Dan Severn you can hear the commentators in that fight saying that Royce is losing, Royce is losing, he is on the bottom, he has nothing, and then I choked I choked Dan Severn out. It was a great turn-around fight. It couldn't have been scripted any better
Kal: What is your prediction on your upcoming UFC fight with Matt Hughes?
Royce: I am coming to fight. I hope he does the same. I hope that Hughes comes to fight and doesn't try to play the judges. I don't want it to be left up to the judges. I hope he finishes me off or I finish him. Somebody is going to get choked out. It's a young man's sport. I'm now 39 years old and I'm coming to fight in the UFC under their rules. Instead of fighting with no time limit, or fighting with 10 to 15 minute rounds, I am coming to fight in three 5-minute rounds. People are saying that I can't do it, that I can't fight in such short rounds. I'm going to do it. I'm proving to him that I am man enough to come over and accept their challenge. I will then see if he will come over and accept my challenge later. Jiu-Jitsu is an art. It's a self-defense art. It's a "not to lose art." I want to see how "the champion of champions of today" Matt Hughes, the guy that they praise and put up there so high, will try and beat me.
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