Hoger is fighting tomorrow...

BJJ_Rage

BJJ_Rage

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http://www.mmamania.com/2016/5/1/11...n-one-championship-belt-for-family-legacy-mma

everyone knows the impact which the Gracie family has had on mixed martial arts (MMA), but it's been a while since anyone bearing that surname won a belt. That could all change on Friday night (local time) because Roger Gracie is challenging for the inaugural ONE Championship light heavyweight belt.

The sport of MMA has evolved rapidly and the Gracies are finding that BJJ alone isn't enough to be competitive at an elite level inside the cage. There's a perception that the family has been left behind and Roger will have a point to prove when facing Michael Pasternak at ONE: "Ascent to Power",


"I think when I become an MMA world champion it will be a big step for my family. A lot of people say that the Gracie’s are left behind or are not up to the standards… that will change though."

The fight is set for the Singapore Indoor Stadium and Gracie will be going up against an undefeated Polish opponent. Both men are coming off impressive ONE debuts and the Brazilian says he is not intimidated by Pasternak's perfect professional record,

"I’m fighting someone that’s fought 11 times and has never lost. For a weaker person that can play a lot on their mind because their opponent is undefeated but its not something that I care about. He could have 50 wins and no defeats it doesn’t matter. He’ll have his first (loss) when he fights me."

With the belt being on the line there is added pressure but Gracie knows all about pressure and is confident he will be able to cope with it better than Pasternak. It's something he has been dealing with all his life,

"To carry the Gracie name is heavy. It’s a lot of weight on your back, there is a lot of pressure on you, people always hope that you succeed. Everyone expects me to be good already. If you learn how to deal with it you can use it in your favor. If you don’t it's very hard to succeed."


Gracie's credentials as a BJJ black belt and multiple time world champion are well documented. But in his last fight he showcased a completely different aspect to his MMA game by finishing kickboxing and Muay Thai veteran James MCSweeney with strikes.

It's an outcome which no-one could have predicted but the Brazilian says he was in no hurry to get the fight to the ground,

"My last fight I wasn’t really trying to prove anything on the stand up, it was just something that happened. My strategy in that fight was keeping the fight standing up, not rushing to take the fight down. I was taking my time… I was feeling better and better on the stand up. I tried to shoot twice and he escaped and I saw him running away so I kept the fight standing."

Gregor, Igor and Roger Gracie have all fought for ONE Championship in the past while Kron Gracie is currently fighting for Rizin FF and Neimar Gracie is signed to Bellator. However the family doesn't quite dominate MMA to the extend that it did during the days of Rickson, Renzo and Royce and Roger puts his down to the modern rules and regulations,

"If you realize the whole idea of Gracie Jiu Jitsu is that it's a long fight, to neutralize your opponent until he’s tired or until he’s submitted, once you put time limits you don't have that choice. It becomes a lot more physical. It sort of takes away the principle of Gracie Jiu Jitsu but at the same time then it becomes more competitive and more equal because you don't have the advantage of just trying to defend and neutralize your opponent."

However Gracie can be quietly confident that his ground game is superior to that of any opponent he's ever going to face in MMA competition. So while he's getting more comfortable with his striking the Brazilian's unlikely to pass up an opportunity to take the fight to the ground,

"A TKO is not something I’m looking for (but) If there’s a big strike that connects obviously that's welcome. If there’s an opportunity for me to take the fight down then that will happen for sure. I think (Pasternak) is an intermediate level (grappler), not even expert level. But MMA is not a grappling match and that makes everyone dangerous you’re not only grappling with him, you’re fighting."

It's a lesson that Gracie has sometimes learned the hard way during an MMA career that has seen him compete under the banners of Strikeforce, UFC and now ONE Championship. But with the benefit of experience, he has adapted his style and the Brazilian believes he is the best he has ever been heading into ONE: "Ascent to Power",

"This belt came at the perfect timing.This is the best I’ve ever been there’s no denying that. Physically I’m in my prime, mentally I’m the strongest I’ve ever been. Today I’m the best fighter I’ve ever been."
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Roger will always be one of my favorites, I study his matches a lot and try to add some of the things he does to my game, but I will never forgive him for breaking my heart and losing to Tim Kennedy.
 
Not sure why the ufc dropped him just because he lost to TK. He has a good talent though his striking is meh. Still, probably the best gracie and still has a lot of potential. He'll probably be victorious via armbar.
 
DushanS94 said:
Roger will always be one of my favorites, I study his matches a lot and try to add some of the things he does to my game, but I will never forgive him for breaking my heart and losing to Tim Kennedy.
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why did you get hearbroken? Tim is a hell of a fighter, probably the most underated fighter in the UFC, dude took it to jacare and luke, Roger gassed badly, thats what happened. May be adrenaline dump who knows, but he could bearly stand in the second round.
 
Badger67 said:
Not sure why the ufc dropped him just because he lost to TK. He has a good talent though his striking is meh. Still, probably the best gracie and still has a lot of potential. He'll probably be victorious via armbar.
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Roger was asking too much money, the UFC didnt drop him, his contract was up, he fought in the UFC becasue he had one last fight remaning from his SF contract, which was pretty high and the UFC simply didnt think he was worth it.
 
BJJ_Rage said:
why did you get hearbroken? Tim is a hell of a fighter, probably the most underated fighter in the UFC, dude took it to jacare and luke, Roger gassed badly, thats what happened. May be adrenaline dump who knows, but he could bearly stand in the second round.
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Oh, I know he's a very good fighter, but the fact that I will always cheer for a pure grappler in an MMA fight, especially one of Roger's caliber combined with the fact that I fucking despise Tim Kennedy's personality left me really disappointed when I watched that fight. Especially since Roger was winning and is 10x the grappler Tim is.

Tim is a strange person. He's huge and an amazing fighter and grappler, but is the whiniest person on Earth at the same time. Combine that with his constant bragging about his time in the army like anyone actually gives a shit makes him probably the only fighter I really strongly dislike.
 
Badger67 said:
Not sure why the ufc dropped him just because he lost to TK. He has a good talent though his striking is meh. Still, probably the best gracie and still has a lot of potential. He'll probably be victorious via armbar.
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I remember it being Roger who didn't want to sign a new contract. I think after the Kennedy fight, he didn't think he could hang with top guys in MMA, and didn't want to damage his brand.
 
I initially read that as literally Hoger and was thinking, "Damn I thought Sam Hoger was dead. He's still fighting?"
 
:( I was holding out hope that the rumors were true, and he was going to compete at Worlds this year.

Now I'm sad.
 
Watching him compete at the Worlds would be much better then beating the crap out of some mediocre brawler.
 
To be honest I don't want to see Roger fighting jiu jitsu again, I think he already gave the sport all he had to, he's not training bjj full time since many years now I think, I don't have this big desire of see him being crushed by some new gen guy
 
Solidus Snake said:
To be honest I don't want to see Roger fighting jiu jitsu again, I think he already gave the sport all he had to, he's not training bjj full time since many years now I think, I don't have this big desire of see him being crushed by some new gen guy
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I agree with this completely. Roger has nothing left to prove in BJJ, it's admirable that he's sought out new challenges in MMA.
 
If he won the worlds he would prove he can still hang with the new guys.
In One FC he is only fighting for money as the title doesn't mean much.
 
klnOmega said:
I remember it being Roger who didn't want to sign a new contract. I think after the Kennedy fight, he didn't think he could hang with top guys in MMA, and didn't want to damage his brand.
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I suspect the issue was more that he had a big contract that carried over from Strikeforce, and the UFC knew he wasn't worth it, especially after the Kennedy fight, and so they cut him. Roger Gracie doesn't seem like the type who would go slumming it on the regional circuit just to get back in the UFC at a third of the price. His value seems a lot bigger in a promotion like One FC or Rizin.
 
Thought this thread was about sam hoger.

Dissapoint.
 
I went in here thinking this thread is about this guy.

sam-hoger.jpg


Disappointed.
 
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