The ‘Gracie’ surname is revered in the Mixed Martial Arts community. Royce Gracie truly brought the surname to the forefront with his victories in the first few UFC events, defeating bigger men with the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu that his family invented.
Many fighters have carried the ‘Gracie’ surname into Mixed Martial Arts competition, but for the first time in a major Mixed Martial Arts event, three fighters from the famed family will fight on the same night. Brothers Igor, Rolles and half-brother Gregor will all compete when ONE Fighting Championship visits Manila for ONE FC: Pride of a Nation.
Igor, Rolles and Gregor are all black belts in BJJ and will look to showcase that during the event, which is expected to be one of the largest events in Asia this year.
Rolles will compete in a heavyweight match against Australian fighter Tony Bonello. Igor Gracie, who has competed in Strikeforce and Bellator, will face Korean knockout artist Jung Hwan Cha while Gregor Gracie will look to bounce back from his loss in the last ONE FC event against Nicholas Mann.
Their trainer, Mixed Martial Arts Legend Renzo Gracie, had this to add about their fight (from MMAJunkie.com):
“Rolles, Igor and Gregor Gracie have never trained so hard for a fight in their lives,” Renzo Gracie stated. “All three of my students understand that ONE FC in Manila will be the largest MMA event in the history of the Philippines. They are embracing this experience wholeheartedly and are training exceptionally hard to achieve victory in front of 16,500 fans. The fans in Manila will get the chance to see the next generation of the Gracie family dominate the world of MMA once again.”
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