Kyra Gracie is taking a time off from competition to become a mother, but that doesn’t mean she won’t consider fighting MMA in the future.
Gracie, a five-time jiu-jitsu world champion and three-time ADCC winner, is waiting for her first child with her boyfriend Malvino Salvador, a famous Brazilian actor, and expects to return to training after the new Gracie is born.
“I’m pregnant, so I won’t be able to compete this year,” Kyra Gracie told MMAFighting.com. “I’ve accomplished all my goals in jiu-jitsu. Competing at the Mundial or ADCC is not in my plans. I only visualize the possibility of returning to jiu-jitsu in a superfight.”
“My will to fight MMA is bigger than returning to jiu-jitsu competition,” she added. “That would demand more dedication that I will be able to have in the next months. My only concern now is with my child, a new Gracie to the family.”
The first female member of the Gracie family to earn a black belt in jiu-jitsu, Kyra still dreams about fighting in the UFC.
“Fighting (MMA) will never leave my plans,” she said. “The natural path is to fight in smaller promotions, gain experience and then enter the UFC. That’s how I would like it to be.”
“Many athletes become mothers and can return to competition in the highest level,” she continued. “I will stay focused on my child for a while because I want to enjoy the pregnancy as much as I can. Even away from the hard training in MMA and jiu-jitsu for a while, I will do my best to maintain my pregnancy with the welfare of an athlete.
“I will continue with physical activities and good nutrition, it will certainly help me to return as soon as possible. Like all women in any profession, I will live the life of a mother and the life of a fighter. I just need some time to adjust it.”
While she enjoys pregnancy, the jiu-jitsu expert faces the challenge of commentating UFC events at Combate channel in Brazil.
“It’s a great challenge,” Gracie said. “I’m at Combate channel for eight months and I feel comfortable with the environment, it helps me a lot to evolve in this area.
“The pressure of being in a new project exists, but I’m used to dealing with it. I faced it as a new tournament, where I needed to control my anxiety. I feel safe now, but I know that I still have a long way to go, so I’m looking to get better as a professional in this area, not only as an athlete.”