Fans of
jiu-jitsu could be forgiven for not catching Roger Gracie's statement after
Sunday's match in Rio de Janeiro.
They were either
too busy jumping up and down and screaming (if they were a fan of Gracie) or
head-in-hands upset that Buchecha had lost.
The melee and the noise inside the venue even left some in attendance unsure what had just happened. You'd also have needed to speak Portuguese, as Roger used his post-match interview at Gracie Pro to confirm that this would indeed be his final jiu-jitsu match.
"I told myself if I won, if I do really well, that would be my career," he would later tell reporters.
The melee and the noise inside the venue even left some in attendance unsure what had just happened. You'd also have needed to speak Portuguese, as Roger used his post-match interview at Gracie Pro to confirm that this would indeed be his final jiu-jitsu match.
"I told myself if I won, if I do really well, that would be my career," he would later tell reporters.
Gracie had put
his name forward for the IBJJF Heavyweight Grand Prix, which goes down on August 26 in Las
Vegas.
He explained
that he accepted the Grand Prix match in hopes that it would
lead to a showdown with Buchecha in the final, giving Gracie the big match
he was looking for as a career finale.
When the date was announced for just one month before the Grand Prix, Gracie didn't want to look past the match and so left the door open to his participation.
When the date was announced for just one month before the Grand Prix, Gracie didn't want to look past the match and so left the door open to his participation.
However, Sunday's
match changed everything. Gracie's sub-seven-minute submission of Buchecha gave
him the closure he was searching for and enables him to walk away
from jiu-jitsu with his head high.
No word just yet as to who will replace him for the IBJJF Heavyweight Grand Prix, which you will be able to watch live on FloGrappling on August 26.
No word just yet as to who will replace him for the IBJJF Heavyweight Grand Prix, which you will be able to watch live on FloGrappling on August 26.
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