Roger Gracie
By Marcelo Alonso
Best grappler in 2005
Most important name of ADCC 2005 after conquering up-to-99kg and Openweight category, Roger Gracie is going to BJJ Worlds as the man to be beaten. In an exclusive to TATAME.com, Roger talks about his training to ADCC 2005, his expectations for next BJJ Mundials and whether he intends to do a MMA fight, like his cousins Royler, Renzo, Rickson and Royler. 'I intend to do a MMA fight, but I'm waiting for the right time. My next step is to dispute my weight category and Openweight at BJJ Mundials'
How was your preparation to fight without the gi? You're not used with it.
It was interesting, because I had ever fought with gi. Fighting no gi is even more slippery and difficult to control the opponent. But I picked it up fast. Renzo was one of the few persons who helped me a lot on it. He's a specialist and he knows a lot about no gi. He got much more involved in MMA during the past years and he put the gi aside for a while. You can train it a lot on his gym. By the way, all his students are very tough without the gi.
And how long did you spend there with Renzo?
I spent seven weeks and Kyra spent more. But she'll stay in New York, teaching classes for women on Renzo's gym.
You train in England, far far away from best BJJ centers. How come do you go so sharpen to the tournaments?
On this moment of my career what really matters are the small details. It's tough to change my game. Of course I still can learn a lot, but it will depend on me not on anyone. Teaching classes is the best way to improve technically. You pay more attention on details that you can't when you're training only with tough fighters. If you train hard, you become tough, but you end up loosing on the improvement of your technique. Nowadays I prepare myself more technically and physically.
And what about your fight against Ronaldo Jacar
By Marcelo Alonso
Best grappler in 2005
Most important name of ADCC 2005 after conquering up-to-99kg and Openweight category, Roger Gracie is going to BJJ Worlds as the man to be beaten. In an exclusive to TATAME.com, Roger talks about his training to ADCC 2005, his expectations for next BJJ Mundials and whether he intends to do a MMA fight, like his cousins Royler, Renzo, Rickson and Royler. 'I intend to do a MMA fight, but I'm waiting for the right time. My next step is to dispute my weight category and Openweight at BJJ Mundials'
How was your preparation to fight without the gi? You're not used with it.
It was interesting, because I had ever fought with gi. Fighting no gi is even more slippery and difficult to control the opponent. But I picked it up fast. Renzo was one of the few persons who helped me a lot on it. He's a specialist and he knows a lot about no gi. He got much more involved in MMA during the past years and he put the gi aside for a while. You can train it a lot on his gym. By the way, all his students are very tough without the gi.
And how long did you spend there with Renzo?
I spent seven weeks and Kyra spent more. But she'll stay in New York, teaching classes for women on Renzo's gym.
You train in England, far far away from best BJJ centers. How come do you go so sharpen to the tournaments?
On this moment of my career what really matters are the small details. It's tough to change my game. Of course I still can learn a lot, but it will depend on me not on anyone. Teaching classes is the best way to improve technically. You pay more attention on details that you can't when you're training only with tough fighters. If you train hard, you become tough, but you end up loosing on the improvement of your technique. Nowadays I prepare myself more technically and physically.
And what about your fight against Ronaldo Jacar
