Tag: Royce Gracie

The Forgotten Round: Looking Back at the Pride Grand Prix 2000

(The Grand Prix alternate bout, which sees Wanderlei Silva defeat Bob Schrijber via…SUBMISSION?!!!)

By CP Reader Bryan S. Adelman

January 30th marked the 15-year anniversary of a seminal event in Mixed-Martial Arts history, an occasion largely unnoticed due to the hype surrounding a certain middleweight fight the following night.

The event? None other than the opening round to the 2000 PRIDE Grand Prix, of course.


(The Grand Prix alternate bout, which sees Wanderlei Silva defeat Bob Schrijber via…SUBMISSION?!!!)

By CP Reader Bryan S. Adelman

January 30th marked the 15-year anniversary of a seminal event in Mixed-Martial Arts history, an occasion largely unnoticed due to the hype surrounding a certain middleweight fight the following night.

The event? None other than the opening round to the 2000 PRIDE Grand Prix, of course.

The culmination of the Japanese promotion’s two-year campaign of violence, the first half of the two-part tournament sported a number of notable fighters of the time, including Kazushi Sakuraba, Guy Mezger, Mark Kerr, Gary Goodridge, Royce Gracie, and the eventual Grand Prix winner, Mark Coleman.

The actual fights themselves were nothing to write home about. In typical Pride fashion, they were simply squash matches; the most notable offender being the tilt between a prime (and, ahem, enhanced – see above) Coleman and the debuting Masaaki Satake, a K-1 veteran that finished his MMA career with a record of 1-8-1. And before you ask, no, it didn’t end well for Satake.


Even the main event between the returning Royce Gracie and the ever shady Nobuhiko Takada was hardly competitive, with Gracie taking the dull decision. Takada, content to simply do nothing, remained in Gracie’s guard for the majority of the 15 minute fight.

The night’s lone high-point was undoubtedly the Guy Mezger vs. Kazushi Sakuraba fight, ending in a controversial victory for the now-mythical Sakuraba. Below you will find the fight’s highlights set to “Paradise City” by Guns n’ Roses, because Murica.


After a fun, albeit restrained, kickboxing match (“In some ways, this is coming off more as a sparring match,” Commentator Stephen Quadros pointed out), PRIDE judges declared the fight a draw and ordering an extra overtime round, much to the fury of Mezger’s cornerman, Ken Shamrock. Instead of fighting, Shamrock (being Shamrock) stubbornly ordered Mezger back to the locker room, resulting in Sakuraba gaining the TKO victory.

Hindsight has a way of disregarding the non-essential details.

In hindsight, the decision was undoubtedly unfair to Mezger, yet without the fight’s questionable judging — and without Takada taking a dive against Gracie — we would’ve never had the epic, 90-minute showdown between Sakuraba and Gracie just a little over three months later at the Grand Prix Finals. Sooo…all’s well that ends well, I guess?

In hindsight, it’s easy to see that, had it not been for the squash matches, we would’ve never witnessed Mark Coleman’s rebirth as the sport’s bona fide alpha male.

In hindsight, it’s better to view the opening round, as painful as it was, as merely a starting point; a Batman Begins to the finals’ Dark Knight.

After all, great things were soon to come.

Dun Dada: Fantasy-Picking Kimbo Slice’s Opponent For His Bellator Debut


(And to think, had Kimbo landed his signature headbutt to the groin that night, EliteXC might still be in operation. Photo via Divulgação.)

By CagePotato reader BJ Last

Welcome back to Sliceworld! The man who took the internet by storm in 2003, turned into a popular MMA circus act in 2007, fell from relevance in 2010, started boxing jobbers in 2012, and everyone sort of forgot about in 2014, is now signed with the second biggest MMA promotion in the world. The only question remaining now — aside from why? and also huh? — is who should be Slice’s first opponent under the Bellator banner? Scott Coker & Co. have two options, as far as I see it:

1) They can try to find Slice a “legitimate” (yes, there’s a reason for air quotes) opponent in an attempt to rebuild him as a genuinely dangerous MMA fighter.

2) They can channel their inner Japanese MMA promotion and go full freakshow.

I’ll tell you what I want (what I really, really want), or at least what I see as the most likely options for each scenario. Let’s start with the “legitimate” opponents…


(And to think, had Kimbo landed his signature headbutt to the groin that night, EliteXC might still be in operation. Photo via Divulgação.)

By CagePotato reader BJ Last

Welcome back to Sliceworld! The man who took the internet by storm in 2003, turned into a popular MMA circus act in 2007, fell from relevance in 2010, started boxing jobbers in 2012, and everyone sort of forgot about in 2014, is now signed with the second biggest MMA promotion in the world. The only question remaining now — aside from why? and also huh? — is who should be Slice’s first opponent under the Bellator banner? Scott Coker & Co. have two options, as far as I see it:

1) They can try to find Slice a “legitimate” (yes, there’s a reason for air quotes) opponent in an attempt to rebuild him as a genuinely dangerous MMA fighter.

2) They can channel their inner Japanese MMA promotion and go full freakshow.

I’ll tell you what I want (what I really, really want), or at least what I see as the most likely options for each scenario. Let’s start with the “legitimate” opponents…

Tito Ortiz – This is the most likely (and probably least interesting) option. Despite what some people think, this fight makes the most sense for Bellator and Ortiz. Bellator gets to have a main event with two name fighters, and could pack the card with other prospects in the hope that people tuning in for this fight will also watch the, you know, talented people on the card. That’s pretty much what Bellator did with their first pay-per-view, and it’ll give Tito a three-fight win streak to carry in against the winner of Liam McGeary vs. Emanuel Newton for the light-heavyweight title.

What’s that? You say Ortiz has already shut down the idea of a potential fight with Slice? Well, methinks that the man who has fought an undersized middleweight and a retired steroid abuser thus far in his Bellator run can be persuaded.

Rematch – James Thompson is currently under contract with Bellator and Seth Petruzelli has said he’d come out of retirement for a rematch. There are only 2 problems with these potential matchups. 1) No one would care who won and 2) There’s no real benefit to Bellator if either Thompson or Petruzelli pick up a win.

Ok, so they’re pretty big problems.

Someone Without a Wikipedia Page – If Bellator wants Kimbo to win so that they have enough footage to hype his next fight, they need to give him the UFC’s CM Punk treatment (or the Sokoudjou Bellator debut treatment), a.k.a an obscure/underskilled opponent. Then again, the last time a promotion had Kimbo face a part-time, semi-retired fighter, it didn’t end well for the promotion. And by not end well, I mean the semi-retired fighter KO’d Kimbo in under 20 seconds, causing the promoter to lose his shit cage-side and eventually sinking the entire promotion. If Bellator wants an opponent they can be sure Kimbo will beat, they’ll need to go the Milwaukee MMA matchmaking route.

Eric Prindle – Just because Bellator could re-use most of the greatest promo video ever.

On Page 2, we get a little more creative with our matchmaking efforts…

Grand Theft Gracie: Did Bellator Steal Another UFC Icon Just Because It Could?

The new guard at Bellator MMA made another decidedly old-school acquisition this week, inking UFC O.G. Royce Gracie as its latest “national brand ambassador.”
Raise your hand if you saw that one coming.
Anybody?
No, you wouldn’t have….

The new guard at Bellator MMA made another decidedly old-school acquisition this week, inking UFC O.G. Royce Gracie as its latest “national brand ambassador.”

Raise your hand if you saw that one coming.

Anybody?

No, you wouldn’t have.

After all, Gracie hasn’t fought since 2006-07, and in his last two professional bouts, he got smashed by Matt Hughes at UFC 60 and then tested positive for steroids following a win over Kazushi Sakuraba at Dynamite!! USA. His more recent public interactions have been limited to smiling for the camera during UFC events and a backstage altercation with Eddie Bravo after Metamoris 3 in March.

So, uh, what exactly is Bellator’s play here? What does it want with Gracie, who turns 48 in December, when it already has so many other retired (or soon to be retired) MMA stars under contract?

Gracie joins a lengthy list of UFC greats who’ve crossed the aisle to join up with the competition late in their fighting lives. Even more than SpikeTV‘s signing of 51-year-old Randy Couture last February, however, bringing Gracie on board feels like a purely symbolic gesture.

Perhaps one that’s meant to show that Bellator, its broadcast partners at SpikeTV and its corporate overlords at Viacom have not yet begun to fight.

It’s not so much a step forward for Scott Coker and Co. as it is a shoulder bump to the UFC as the two organizations pass each other in the high school cafeteria. Just a little love tap to let the boys in Las Vegas know Bellator is still out there. Still with a little bit of money in its pocket.

Prior to this week, Gracie remained arguably the most iconic fighter in UFC history. His family helped start the company and pioneered the MMA pay-per-view model as a way of popularizing the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu brand. To have a guy like that suddenly and rather unceremoniously defect, it has to mean something.

For one thing, it means Bellator made him the more financially appealing offer, which is kind of a sad commentary in its own right. And hey, if the officials at Bellator are willing to celebrate (read: pay) Gracie in a way the UFC is not, kudos to them. And if Gracie is willing to sacrifice his relationship with his former employer to do it, more power to him.

In the wake of their departures, the UFC has done its best to paint over the memories of guys like Couture, Tito Ortiz and Frank Shamrock. That doesn’t seem possible with Gracie, unless the promotion means to completely disavow its own origin story.

But while Gracie was tremendously important to the UFC’s history, it remains a mystery what he’ll bring to Bellator in the present tense. According to a statement released by the organization on Tuesday, Gracie will “host seminars, be involved in autograph and promotional appearances, as well as aiding in the international expansion of Bellator around the world.”

That’s all fine and good, but piggybacking on Gracie’s image can only take Bellator so far. There’s no serious way it can position itself as the real heir to his greatness, and it’s been so long since he actually accomplished anything of substance, his worth to a company where he has no history feels speculative at best.

Clearly, he’s more limited as a spokesman than Couture, Shamrock or even Ortiz. Spike could give him the documentary treatment, but it doesn’t own the rights to any of his fights. It could hand him some sort of reality show—which seems to be Spike’s go-to move, anyway—but early tries at doing that for other guys (see: Fight Master, Gym Rescue) haven’t exactly been stellar.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, wants to see Gracie show up on Impact Wrestling, ball-peen hammer in hand.

So, what else does Gracie do that is of any value to Bellator? Shake hands and kiss babies, as the above statement suggests? Stand quietly in the audience as a Spike graphic trumpets him as an “MMA Hall of Famer”? Provide some sage sound bites for Emanuel Newton’s upcoming title defense against Linton Vassell?

No, unless Bellator is about to spring some master plan on us, my guess is that it signed Gracie out from under the UFC’s nose merely to prove it could. Now the man who first brought MMA to the American masses, who first popularized those three little letters and first got his hand raised inside the Octagon, doesn’t work there anymore.

Maybe at this point Gracie is just a metaphor, but having him around still has some meaning.  

At some point, though, it’d be nice to see Bellator move beyond symbolism. We already knew the company had the wherewithal to smuggle away the relics of the UFC’s past.

If it really wants to make a splash, it needs to steal a piece of MMA’s future.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Royce Gracie Joins Bellator as Brand Ambassador — Wait, WHAT??


Well this is freakin’ bizarre. Bellator announced today that it has named UFC pioneer Royce Gracie as its official brand ambassador. As part of his role, Gracie “will host seminars, be involved in autograph and promotional appearances, as well as aiding in the International expansion of Bellator around the world.”

Gracie becomes the fourth UFC Hall of Famer to be hired by Bellator/Viacom in some capacity, following fighters Tito Ortiz and Stephan Bonnar*, and Fight Master/Gym Rescue personality** Randy Couture. Here’s the full press release via Bellator.com:

“The Godfather of MMA” Joins Bellator As Royce Gracie Becomes Promotional Brand Ambassador

Newport Beach, Calif. (October 8, 2014) – Known simply as the pioneer of mixed martial arts, Royce Gracie is widely considered the most influential and important figure the sport has seen. Engaging in some of the most memorable fights in MMA history during his time with the UFC and PRIDE Fighting Championships, Gracie has now joined Bellator as an official brand ambassador for the Viacom-owned promotion.

“I have known Scott for a long time and have always respected him as not only a promoter but as a martial artist who has always treated fighters with respect and truly understands their value,” Gracie said. “Bellator and Viacom want to give fans exciting fights and enable fighters to continue to grow and most importantly provide for their family, and it’s something I want to be a part of. UFC has done a great job over the past twenty years in building this sport and taking it globally and I’m glad to have been part of that, but Bellator is a growing organization I am honored to be a part of, and with the dedicated and talented people already associated with the company, we can further the growth of mixed marital arts as a sport worldwide.”


Well this is freakin’ bizarre. Bellator announced today that it has named UFC pioneer Royce Gracie as its official brand ambassador. As part of his role, Gracie “will host seminars, be involved in autograph and promotional appearances, as well as aiding in the International expansion of Bellator around the world.”

Gracie becomes the fourth UFC Hall of Famer to be hired by Bellator/Viacom in some capacity, following fighters Tito Ortiz and Stephan Bonnar*, and Fight Master/Gym Rescue personality** Randy Couture. Here’s the full press release via Bellator.com:

“The Godfather of MMA” Joins Bellator As Royce Gracie Becomes Promotional Brand Ambassador

Newport Beach, Calif. (October 8, 2014) – Known simply as the pioneer of mixed martial arts, Royce Gracie is widely considered the most influential and important figure the sport has seen. Engaging in some of the most memorable fights in MMA history during his time with the UFC and PRIDE Fighting Championships, Gracie has now joined Bellator as an official brand ambassador for the Viacom-owned promotion.

“I have known Scott for a long time and have always respected him as not only a promoter but as a martial artist who has always treated fighters with respect and truly understands their value,” Gracie said. “Bellator and Viacom want to give fans exciting fights and enable fighters to continue to grow and most importantly provide for their family, and it’s something I want to be a part of. UFC has done a great job over the past twenty years in building this sport and taking it globally and I’m glad to have been part of that, but Bellator is a growing organization I am honored to be a part of, and with the dedicated and talented people already associated with the company, we can further the growth of mixed marital arts as a sport worldwide.”

Gracie will immediately be involved with Bellator including promotion for Bellator 131, which is headlined by a light heavyweight showdown between Tito Ortiz and Stephan Bonnar, along with a Lightweight Title fight between Michael Chandler and Will Brooks on November 15. Moving forward Gracie will host seminars, be involved in autograph and promotional appearances, as well as aiding in the International expansion of Bellator around the world. Bellator and Gracie will also be involved in a co-branded merchandise line that will debut in 2015.

“To call Royce a legend would be an absolute understatement,” Bellator President Scott Coker said. “Royce and the Gracie family are directly responsible for making this sport what it is today*** and we are incredibly fortunate to have him be a part of the Bellator family. Royce will serve in many different capacities for Bellator and I look forward to our fighters, staff and most importantly, our fans, in having the chance to interact with one of the most iconic figures in sports.”

* Yes, Stephan Bonnar is a UFC hall of Famer.

** Yes, Randy Couture has a personality.

*** Shots fired!

Poaching the UFC’s first superstar might be the greatest troll-move that Bellator has ever pulled off. On the other hand, signing Gracie as any sort of MMA ambassador is weird, considering that he still insists jiu-jitsu is all you need, and he’s a bit of a loose cannon. Anyway, we look forward to the inevitable public burial from Dana White: “Who did Royce beat? Can you name one guy that Royce beat? He is literally the most overrated fighter of all time. He beat some karate teachers and he’s the greatest ever? He wouldn’t last one round with Ronda or Conner, etc., etc.”

Friday Links: The Other ‘War Machine’, Floyd Mayweather Jr. to Retire Next Year, Disturbing Stock Photos + More


(Ugh. Would someone please tell that goof in the middle that gladiators don’t smile? / Photo via Reddit MMA)

TRT Ban Will Force UFC Headliner ‘Bigfoot’ Silva Into Surgery After Saturday’s Fight (MMAJunkie)

Interview: Bec Rawlings Discusses Creepy Fans, The TUF 20 House, and How the Media Is Blowing Drama Out of Proportion (MiddleEasy)

UFC’s ‘War Machine’ Won’t Change His Nickname After Jonathan Koppenhaver’s Alleged Assault (MMAFighting)

Video: Dana White Says Alistair Overeem Won’t Be Cut, Ben Askren Is an ‘Absolute Moron’ (BloodyElbow)

Boxing News: Floyd Mayweather Jr. Planning to Retire in 2015 After 2 More Bouts (Sherdog)

Georges St-Pierre Will Get Title Shot If He Returns in 2015 (MMAFighting)

Mike Tyson Flips Out on Canadian TV (Break)

Why Do These Stock Photos Even Exist? [31 Pics] (Radass)

The 10 Most Terrifying Place on Earth (AskMen)

When Good Stars Go Bad: Eight Actors and Their Most Villainous Film Roles (ScreenJunkies)

Which Sci-Fi Utopian World Would Be Best for Raising a Family? (EveryJoe)

The 15 Worst Marriage Proposals of All Time (PopHangover)

Video: The Most Brutal Aussie Rules Football Hits (Steakwood)

Six Takeaways from Apple’s iPhone 6 Reveal Event (EscapistMagazine)

The 20 Greatest Sitcom Babes of All Time (WorldWideInterweb)

When Good Games Are Too Hard (GameFront)


(Ugh. Would someone please tell that goof in the middle that gladiators don’t smile? / Photo via Reddit MMA)

TRT Ban Will Force UFC Headliner ‘Bigfoot’ Silva Into Surgery After Saturday’s Fight (MMAJunkie)

Interview: Bec Rawlings Discusses Creepy Fans, The TUF 20 House, and How the Media Is Blowing Drama Out of Proportion (MiddleEasy)

UFC’s ‘War Machine’ Won’t Change His Nickname After Jonathan Koppenhaver’s Alleged Assault (MMAFighting)

Video: Dana White Says Alistair Overeem Won’t Be Cut, Ben Askren Is an ‘Absolute Moron’ (BloodyElbow)

Boxing News: Floyd Mayweather Jr. Planning to Retire in 2015 After 2 More Bouts (Sherdog)

Georges St-Pierre Will Get Title Shot If He Returns in 2015 (MMAFighting)

Mike Tyson Flips Out on Canadian TV (Break)

Why Do These Stock Photos Even Exist? [31 Pics] (Radass)

The 10 Most Terrifying Place on Earth (AskMen)

When Good Stars Go Bad: Eight Actors and Their Most Villainous Film Roles (ScreenJunkies)

Which Sci-Fi Utopian World Would Be Best for Raising a Family? (EveryJoe)

The 15 Worst Marriage Proposals of All Time (PopHangover)

Video: The Most Brutal Aussie Rules Football Hits (Steakwood)

Six Takeaways from Apple’s iPhone 6 Reveal Event (EscapistMagazine)

The 20 Greatest Sitcom Babes of All Time (WorldWideInterweb)

When Good Games Are Too Hard (GameFront)

Watch Art Jimmerson Knock A Fighter Through the Ropes (and Make a Guy Puke)

Art Jimmerson is arguably the most derided fighter in the history of MMA. This is understandable. The dude went into UFC 1 thinking he was going to collect some easy money by knocking out strip mall McDojo masters.

As we know, the reality was that Jimmerson was out of his depth in a no holds barred competition. And, of course, he fought Royce Gracie wearing only one glove, instantly guaranteeing himself a place in MMA’s hall of shame.

UFC co-creator Campbell McClaren recently dished on the one-glove issue on Darce Side Radio. It turns out “Big” John McCarthy had an exchange with Jimmerson before the fight. He explained what Royce Gracie would do to Jimmerson, as well as the horrifying fact that the referee wouldn’t separate the fighters in the case of a clinch. This was a fight, not a boxing match.

MMA Mania summed up McClaren’s story:

Art Jimmerson is arguably the most derided fighter in the history of MMA. This is understandable. The dude went into UFC 1 thinking he was going to collect some easy money by knocking out strip mall McDojo masters.

As we know, the reality was that Jimmerson was out of his depth in a no holds barred competition. And, of course, he fought Royce Gracie wearing only one glove, instantly guaranteeing himself a place in MMA’s hall of shame.

UFC co-creator Campbell McClaren recently dished on the one-glove issue on Darce Side Radio. It turns out “Big” John McCarthy had an exchange with Jimmerson before the fight. He explained what Royce Gracie would do to Jimmerson, as well as the horrifying fact that the referee wouldn’t separate the fighters in the case of a clinch. This was a fight, not a boxing match.

MMA Mania summed up McClaren’s story:

“Big John said, ‘you know what he’s going to do to you right?’” McLaren said, re-telling the story he only recently became privy to. “Jimmerson said, ‘what’s he going to do?’ and he was dancing around and doing boxing moves. Big John said, ‘You ever get in a clinch in a boxing match?’ Jimmerson said, ‘yeah, the ref breaks it up.’ Big John goes,” In this they’re not going to break it up when he grabs you. He’s going to have his arms on you. They’re not going to break that up. The ref doesn’t break that up in this fight.’ Jimmerson goes, ‘what?’ Big John said, “He’s going to shoot in. He’s going to grab you. You are going to get one chance to hit him, and if you miss, he’s going to be all over you.’ Jimmerson said, ‘He’s going to break my arm isn’t he?’ Big John said, ‘Yeah, he’s going to break your arm.’

“That’s when he decided to wear the one glove,” McLaren revealed. “To make sure we could see him tapping with the other hand. Walking with him to the Octagon, he said, ‘If I tap with my glove hand, is it a still a tap?’ That’s when I knew it wasn’t going to work out.”

This story, in conjunction with Art Davie revealing Jimmerson neglected to bring his shorts, gloves, and boxing shoes to the fight, make Jimmerson out to be a comic relief jobber. And to an extent, he was–at least in the UFC. He was a punching bag (or grappling dummy, in this case) for Royce Gracie. However, Jimmerson was also a professional fighter. We’ve been re-watching a lot of the old classics on UFC Fight Pass. As a result, we’ve developed a sense of protective nostalgia toward some fighters. We’re not going into full “LEAVE JIMMERSON ALONE” mode or anything like that. We’re just saying that Jimmerson wasn’t an entire sport’s joke once. Let’s just remember that.