Conor McGregor recently unveiled the five fighters he considers to be the greatest of all time. Shockingly, he wasn’t…
Conor McGregor recently unveiled the five fighters he considers to be the greatest of all time. Shockingly, he wasn’t one of them.
‘Mystic Mac’ was recently featured on a live stream hosted by online gambling site Duelbits where he was asked a series of questions, one of them being who he considers as the five GOATS of mixed martial arts. With the snap of a finger, McGregor rattled off four notable names, though he needed a moment or two to come up with a fifth pick.
“Top-5 MMA GOATS,” McGregor said. “Rickson Gracie, Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Chuck Liddell… how many is that? Three, four? Four? The OGs… Bas Rutten. Bas Rutten, yeah. Europe’s own. Europe’s first is Bas Rutten. What a man Bas Rutten is.
“Serious shape he’s in now. Bas, I’m right behind you, bro. I see you, Bas. I see you, Bas. I’m right behind you” (h/t MMA Fighting).
Inspired to train in martial arts after seeing the Bruce Lee classic Enter the Dragon, Bas Rutten established himself as a world-class kickboxer before becoming the first UFC champion from the Netherlands following a split decision win against Kevin Randleman at UFC 20 in May 1999 to claim a heavyweight title.
Rutten never defended the title due to injuries, but went on to cap off his iconic fighting career with an impressive 28-4-1 record with noteworthy wins over Frank Shamrock, Maurice Smith, Guy Mezger, and Tsuyoshi Kohsaka.
Rutten was inducted into the UFC Hall Fame Pioneer Wing in 2015.
Breaking down Conor McGregor’s GOAT List
The other four names on McGregor’s list were all prominent figures in mixed martial arts who, in one way or another, helped to bring MMA out of the shadows and into the spotlight.
Perhaps the most famous of which was Royce Gracie. Winning the inaugural UFC tournament in 1993, Gracie quickly became the de facto face of the promotion’s early days. Then there was his half-brother, Rickson Gracie, whose accomplishments have been touted as something straight out of mythology.
Ken Shamrock helped bring the UFC to another level during the promotion’s developmental years and Chuck Liddell is often credited as being MMA’s first true superstar, capturing the hearts of fight fans with his high-octane style of fighting before crossing over into the world of film and television.
With McGregor himself accounting for eight of the 10 highest-grossing pay-per-views in UFC history and becoming the first-ever simultaneous two-division champion in the promotion’s history, it’s a little surprising he didn’t include himself.
Kron Gracie hasn’t fought in the UFC in more than two years, and it’s unclear when he’ll return after his first professional MMA loss to Cub Swanson.
Kron’s father, Rickson is arguably one of the greatest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners as part o…
Kron Gracie hasn’t fought in the UFC in more than two years, and it’s unclear when he’ll return after his first professional MMA loss to Cub Swanson.
Kron’s father, Rickson is arguably one of the greatest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners as part of the famous Gracie legacy. Rickson has been a mainstay in Kron’s corner during his professional MMA career.
Kron followed up an impressive UFC debut against Alex Caceres with a disappointing loss to Swanson. While he had his moments throughout the fight, Swanson proved to be the more experienced MMA fighter and earned a unanimous decision victory.
Things seemed tense between the father-son duo following the loss to Swanson. Rickson was frustrated with the lack of adjustments that Kron made in the fight overall. Following the bout, Swanson had advised Kron to humble himself in the face of defeat.
During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Rickson provided an update on Kron’s status in the sport and potential return to the Octagon.
“Right now we’re giving each other some space, you know?” Rickson said when asked about Kron. “We had some small arguments and now he’s moved to Montana, he’s with his new gym there, he’s training. I don’t know exactly what his plans are for MMA, but I root for him.
“I know he has great potential, not only as a fighter but also as a great teacher, a great man. I’m rooting for him, and I’m also curious, like everybody else, to know what he’ll do next.” (h/t Bloody Elbow)
Before signing with the UFC, Kron had enjoyed success in Rizin and Real Fight Championship, earning four-straight submission wins. His loss to Swanson was the first time in his MMA career that a fight of his had gone the distance.
The 33-year-old featherweight has also previously worked with Nick and Nate Diaz in California to prepare for his MMA fights. It’s unclear if Kron intends on training with the Diaz brothers for an eventual return.
Living up to the Gracie tradition in MMA has proven not to be an easy feat for Kron, and it’s unclear if he’ll return to the Octagon for a chance at redemption.
Do you think Kron Gracie will eventually return to the UFC/MMA?
DOB: November 21, 1958 Nickname: The Last Samurai Gym: Gracie Jiu Jitsu Location: Los Angeles, California Martial Records: 11-0(MMA) Notable Championships: 2x Vale Tudo Japan Champion Rickson Gracie’s childhood Rickson Gracie grew up in Rio de Janeiro and is the third oldest son of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu co-founder Hélio Gracie. From a young age, Rickson […]
DOB: November 21, 1958
Nickname: The Last Samurai
Gym: Gracie Jiu Jitsu
Location: Los Angeles, California
Martial Records: 11-0(MMA)
Notable Championships: 2x Vale Tudo Japan Champion
Rickson Gracie’s childhood
Rickson Gracie grew up in Rio de Janeiro and is the third oldest son of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu co-founder Hélio Gracie. From a young age, Rickson was picked as the next representative of the family.
Although before he began to train Jiu Jitsu seriously, Rickson Gracie almost took a bad path in life. During his pre-teen years, Rickson would routinely skip school and hang out in a favela in Ipanema.
In this favela, Gracie befriended some older kids that like to smoke marijuana and surf. Being young and wanting to impress the older kids, Rickson began getting pot for them.
This allowed him to be part of the group, but once they began stealing and using drugs, Rickson Gracie had second thoughts.
He knew staying would lead him down a bad path, so he decided to dedicate his life to training Jiu Jitsu.
Rickson Gracie’s early training
When Rickson was young, his father was his main trainer, until he was a teenager. At this time his older relative Rolls Gracie took over as his teacher.
Rolls was a tough teacher that pushed Rickson hard. Every training session was like a fight and Rolls instilled a finish the fight approach into Rickson Gracie.
Forget about winning by points and always aim to finish his fights by submission. The young Gracie took this mindset to heart and it helped him succeed in Jiu Jitsu competitions.
In Jiu Jitsu competitions, it is said that Rickson never lost a match. He would almost always win his matches by submission and rarely get scored on.
Many at a young age already considered him among the best in the family.
Rickson Gracie’s fights with Rei Zulu
Rickson would have his first vale tudo fight when he was just 19 years old. One day his father’s ex opponent and then friend Waldemar Santana came to visit the gym in Rio.
Santana was working as a fight promoter and was having problems finding his client Rei Zulu a fight. Zulu was allegedly 270-0 in vale tudo fights and was a mountain of a man with an indegionous wrestling background.
Hélio got excited and volunteered Rickson to challenge the undefeated Rei Zulu. Gracie was undersized and less experienced, but his father knew he would win.
His first fight was a grueling war in front of 20k spectators. Rickson Gracie weathered the storm of his bigger opponent for two rounds to the point Zulu was completely exhausted. This would lead to Rickson submitting Zulu with a Rear Naked Choke in the third round.
The two would have a rematch years later in a controversial match, where both men landed illegal blows. Their rematch would also end in Gracie choking out Zulu again.
Rickson Gracie and the beach fight with Hugo Duarte
During the 1980s, Gracie Jiu Jitsu was at war with a rival Vale Tudo school. The Vale Tudo school led by Marco Ruas won the initial meeting and negotiations began for Rickson to fight Ruas.
The fight never happened, but a bout with Hugo Duarte was offered and Rickson accepted. Although there were rumors that Duarte would back out.
So to prevent Duarte from avoiding the fight, Rickson confronted him at a beach in Copacabana. Rickson slapped Duarte to force him to fight and then proceeded to control Duarte on the ground.
This would continue the war between BJJ and Luta Livre, but Rickson would move to the US.
Vale Tudo Japan 1994
After moving to the US in the late 80s to work at the Gracie school in LA, Rickson mainly coached. Although he still stayed in shape and would still compete in various types of grappling tournaments from Jiu Jitsu to Sambo.
Then in 1994, he was contacted by catch wrestling expert Eric Paulsen. Eric was matchmaking for an early MMA tournament to be held in Japan called Vale Tudo Japan 1994.
He asked if Rickson would like to be the Jiu Jitsu representative in the tournament and Gracie gladly accepted.
At the tournament, Rickson would make easy work of his 3 opponents. Finishing his first fight by RNC and his last 2 by punches to win the inaugural tournament.
Rickson Gracie and Yoji Anjo dojo storm
When Rickson won the first Vale Tudo Japan tournament, he began getting challenged by Japanese pro wrestlers. They were trying to make a name for themselves and trying to get publicity and attention on their promotion.
Rickson stated that he would never fight in pro wrestling, where the fights were a work. But if any Japanese wrestler wanted to fight him, they were welcomed to come to LA and try.
One young wrestler by the name of Yoji Anjo would make the trip to the US with members of the Japanese media. He and the promoter of the pro wrestling federation met Rickson at the Gracie academy in LA.
Gracie permitted Anjo and the promoter into the school, but not the Japanese press. When they got to the mat, the fight commenced and Rickson made Anjo regret his decision.
Anjo was brutally beaten for minutes before being choked out. There is a video of the incident, but Rickson has never released the video to the public.
He only showed it to the Japanese press one time to show them what really happened.
Rickson Gracie’s Choke documentary
After winning the first Vale Tudo Japan tournament in 1994, Rickson was asked to fight again at the 1995 tournament. This time, his training would be documented on the famous documentary Choke.
This documentary showed Rickson’s preparation for the tournament along with two other competitors. Just like the previous tournament, Rickson won with ease by submitting all 3 opponents in one night again.
Rickson Gracie and the creation of Pride FC
Through the Vale Tudo Japan tournaments, Rickson Gracie had helped create the early MMA scene in Japan. He helped promote the inaugural Pride Fighting Championship event held at the Tokyo Dome in 1997.
Rickson would fight in the main event against Yoji Anjo’s teacher Nobuhiko Takada. Gracie made easy work of Takada submitting with an armbar in the first round.
Even though Takada lost, Rickson respected his spirit and gave him a rematch at Pride 4. The rematch would have the same result as the first with a win for Rickson by armbar.
Rickson Gracie’s last match and retirement
Rickson’s last match would take place in 2000 against Masakatsu Funaki for the promotion CK. For this fight a special rule set of no elbow or knee strikes were added right before the contest.
Although this new ruleset didn’t really make a difference as Gracie took his opponent down and submitted him.
After this match, Rickson’s oldest son Rockson Gracie died of a drug overdose in December of 2000. The death of his oldest son broke Rickson’s heart and he no longer had the desire to fight.
Instead choosing to teach Jiu Jitsu and spend time with his family.
Rickson Gracie as a teacher
Kron Gracie was his father Rickson’s pupil from the time he could walk. In the early 2010s, Kron wanted to be a world Jiu Jitsu champion just like his dad.
He would get his chance after qualifying for the 2013 ADCC Championship. With his father Rickson in his corner, Kron made his way to China to compete at the event
The young Gracie easily won his first match against Andy Wang before meeting Garry Tonon in an all-time classic match. Kron was down on points before getting Tonon’s back and submitting him in the last few seconds.
Then in the finals, he met Otavio Sousa in the finals. He would win the tournament with a standing guillotine choke as Rickson watched on in his corner.
Rickson considered it one of the most special moments of his life to see Kron win at ADCC.
Rickson Gracie & Ginastica Natural
One of the keys to Rickson’s success was his strength and conditioning. His friend Orlando Conti taught Rickson his style of training called Ginastica Natural.
Ginastica Natural is a mix of natural movements, yoga, and breathing exercises. Rickson Gracie became a master of controlling his breath and heart rate.
He is well known for his famous breathing techniques that he has demonstrated frequently in films and documentaries.
Rickson Gracie earns his red belt
In 2007, Rickson Gracie became only the 50th person to ever receive their red belt in Jiu Jitsu. He was surprised by his older brother Rorion at a seminar along with a few other red belts. Cementing his already great legacy.
Rickson Gracie Legacy
There really isn’t anything to say about Rickson Gracie that hasn’t already been said. He is one of the greatest martial artists that have ever lived.
Not only being one of the best fighters ever, but also one of the best teachers. Rickson Gracie continues teaching the art he loves and has recently created his own federation. The Jiu Jitsu Global Federation.
Almost a quarter of a century since UFC 1 ushered in the age of mixed martial arts (MMA), we’ve now reached the stage where some of the sport’s early pioneers have gone on to raise children of their own who decided to follow in their footsteps. However, as you’ll see in the pages that follow, […]
Almost a quarter of a century since UFC 1 ushered in the age of mixed martial arts (MMA), we’ve now reached the stage where some of the sport’s early pioneers have gone on to raise children of their own who decided to follow in their footsteps.
However, as you’ll see in the pages that follow, it’s not always easy for these next-generation fighters to get out from under their famous fathers’ shadows and deal with the weight of expectation that inevitably falls on their shoulders as they look to make their own mark in the sport.
Nevertheless, among these ten fighters stand a few who have so far lived up to the hype, and could yet become future stars in the sport that their fathers helped build.
Randy Couture / Ryan Couture
A true legend of the sport, Randy Couture is one of the UFC’s most decorated fighters, having won the heavyweight title on three separate occasions, the light-heavyweight title twice, and not to mention also having been an interim champ at 205 pounds and UFC 13 heavyweight tournament winner.
With such a formidable career, it was always going to be tough for Couture’s son Ryan to live up to his father’s legacy when he set out to forge his own path in the sport.
As such, the next-generation Couture hasn’t reached the same level of success or fame, but nevertheless he has managed to build a career in the sport that’s seen him fight for the likes of the UFC, Strikeforce and Bellator, compiling an 11-5 record so far that includes includes wins over established veterans like KJ Noons and Conor Heun.
When asked what advice he’d give to others sons of famous fighters, the now 35-year-old said it’s all about managing expectations.
“They should be trying to achieve their own goals and be happy with that,” Couture told BloodyElbow. “If they’re doing it out of some need to achieve the same level of success as that person, whose footsteps they’re following, then they’re setting themselves up for frustration.”
The UFC octagon has long been billed as the ultimate proving ground for mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters, and as such has played host to the great of the sport for over 20 years. However, it would be wrong to suggest that all the best fighters in the world have fought in the UFC at
The UFC octagon has long been billed as the ultimate proving ground for mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters, and as such has played host to the great of the sport for over 20 years.
However, it would be wrong to suggest that all the best fighters in the world have fought in the UFC at some point in their careers, as there have been some notable stand-outs that have never fought on the sport’s biggest stage.
As you’ll read in the pages that follow, the reasons for this are varied, from financial stumbling blocks and personality clashes at the negotiating table, through to injury woes and personal issues, and occasionally just simply having been inexplicably overlooked.
There’s some serious talent on display here, so prepare to consider what might have been as we countdown of the 10 best fighters who have never fought in the UFC.
10. Paulo Filho
An extremely talented fighter, Filho would surely have fought in the UFC at some stage in his career had he not been sidetracked by a bigger battle with his own inner demons.
The Brazilian’s career began with victories in Heroes, Deep and Pancrase promotions, and that soon led to him signing with PRIDE.
Filho could do no wrong as he continued to extend his unbeaten record with wins over the likes of Ryatuo Sakurai and Murilo ‘Ninja’ Rua, before taking out Ryo Chonan and Kazuo Misaki to reach the final of the PRIDE Middleweight Grand-Prix in 2006, but a bicep injury would then force him out of the tournament.
Filho left PRIDE after that, but continued to impress by winning the WEC’s middleweight title against Joe Doerksen and then successfully defended the belt against Chael Sonnen.
By this stage Filho had compiled a flawless 16-0 campaign and was being hailed by some as the best middleweight in the world, but his career then began to spiral out of control due to depression, drug addiction, money issues and later health problems.
Despite several attempts to get back on track, trouble never seemed far away from Filho, and at one stage he would claim just three wins in 11 fights, ending any hopes of making his way to the UFC and instead becoming the poster child for wasted talent in the sport.
(On the other hand, a noodling business venture with the Diaz brothers seems pretty tempting.)
Kron Gracie, son of family champ Rickson Gracie, won gold in the -77kg weight class of the 2013 ADCC tournament this past weekend. The ADCC is like the Olympics of submission grappling, with the world’s best meeting every two years to decide weight class champs as well as an open-weight champion.
Gracie won all four of his matches by submission, joining the elite ranks of former champions to have done the same like Marcelo Garcia and second cousin Roger Gracie. Kron beat UFC veteran Andy Wang in his first match, Gary Tonon in his second, J.T. Torres in his third and rival Otavio Souza in the finals.
Before competing at Metamoris II this past summer, Gracie told CagePotato that he has been training MMA with the Diaz brothers for some time and plans to make the transition to MMA in the near future. Gracie is supposed to have a super match at the World Jiu Jitsu Expo next month but it will be interesting to see what he decides to do in 2014.
Will Gracie decide to leverage his now champion status in the submission grappling world or walk away and make a name for himself in MMA? How much of a sense of urgency does he feel to focus all of his attention on developing a well-rounded MMA game?
Only time will tell but we’ll certainly bring you updates as they occur. For the time being, enjoy Kron’s 2013 ADCC matches against Tonon and Souza after the jump.
(On the other hand, a noodling business venture with the Diaz brothers seems pretty tempting.)
Kron Gracie, son of family champ Rickson Gracie, won gold in the -77kg weight class of the 2013 ADCC tournament this past weekend. The ADCC is like the Olympics of submission grappling, with the world’s best meeting every two years to decide weight class champs as well as an open-weight champion.
Gracie won all four of his matches by submission, joining the elite ranks of former champions to have done the same like Marcelo Garcia and second cousin Roger Gracie. Kron beat UFC veteran Andy Wang in his first match, Gary Tonon in his second, J.T. Torres in his third and rival Otavio Souza in the finals.
Before competing at Metamoris II this past summer, Gracie told CagePotato that he has been training MMA with the Diaz brothers for some time and plans to make the transition to MMA in the near future. Gracie is supposed to have a super match at the World Jiu Jitsu Expo next month but it will be interesting to see what he decides to do in 2014.
Will Gracie decide to leverage his now champion status in the submission grappling world or walk away and make a name for himself in MMA? How much of a sense of urgency does he feel to focus all of his attention on developing a well-rounded MMA game?
Only time will tell but we’ll certainly bring you updates as they occur. For the time being, enjoy Kron’s 2013 ADCC matches against Tonon and Souza after the jump.
DOB: November 21, 1958 Nickname: The Last Samurai Gym: Gracie Jiu Jitsu Location: Los Angeles, California Martial Records: 11-0(MMA) Notable Championships: 2x Vale Tudo Japan Champion Rickson Gracie’s childhood Rickson Gracie grew up in Rio de Janeiro and is the third oldest son of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu co-founder Hélio Gracie. From a young age, Rickson […]
