Tag: Royce Gracie

Jordan Mein: The Future of Canadian MMA

The Future Is Bright   This is arguably the greatest time of the year for sports. Baseball is back on, NFL camps are scheduled to open shortly (normally), the NBA and NHL are down to their two best. MMA is now in a position to be co…

The Future Is Bright

 

This is arguably the greatest time of the year for sports. Baseball is back on, NFL camps are scheduled to open shortly (normally), the NBA and NHL are down to their two best. MMA is now in a position to be contributing to the drama as well. UFC 131 is in Vancouver this Saturday and The Score Fighting Series is broadcasting a well conceived card. 

Lethbridge, Alberta’s Jordan Mein will be fighting on The Score Fighting Series this Friday at 7:30 (EST). The event is being held at The Hershey Center in Mississauga, Ontario. The 21 year old, with a 21-7 record, has been dubbed the “Future of Canadian MMA” by many pundits. His test on Friday will demonstrate how worthy he is of that title.

Naturally, the face of Canadian MMA today is Georges St- Pierre. Jordan may never achieve all that the future UFC Hall of Famer has, but he has proven that his journey to reach that goal just may well be worth watching.

Jordan not only oozes talent, he is equally as charismatic. Sincere humility, infectious enthusiasm, and an affable disposition aligned with striking, wrestling, and submission skills make this a potential blue chip stock to be excited about. He is the first generation of MMA fighters. People schooled in the sport of MMA and not gravitating towards it with a strong base in one discipline.

When asked if people do not recognize his intelligence and articulate nature because he is an MMA fighter he joked with the confidence to use self-deprecating humour, ” I am not that intelligent nor articulate. I’m just straight MMA. ” While Jordan has impressed people with his well-rounded skills that have earned him this unofficial title, he has backed up the hype.

His past two fights were against former UFC fighters: Joe Riggs and Josh Burkman. Riggs once contested Matt Hughes for the UFC welterweight title and defeated G.S.P.’s next title challenger Nick Diaz: Mein vanquished him in the second round via TKO. He then won a convincing, unanimous decision over Burkman.

Mein’s take on the Burkman fight was an example of what a humble and respectful person he is:”It taught me that I could get rocked and comeback. I learned that I can overcome adversity as I got rocked several times and was hurt a lot.”

Being the future of anything can often create the opposite effect. It inherently creates pressure and often paradoxically manifests failure. Jordan on the pressure: ” Pressure is what one needs in life. High pressure fights and competing at the highest level is what I want. The pressure is awesome because I know I can achieve the expectations.”

Those that know of Jordan already, know of his father: Lee Mein. Lee is a stalwart in Western Canadian MMA. The iconic figure recently won on his 44th birthday and bolstered his record to 5-9. His real contributions have been to developing talent in Alberta and Western Canada. C.M.C. (Canadian Martial Arts Center) is where he grooms fighters and like many dads worked hard on his son.

According to Jordan, the plan was absolutely always for him to become an MMA fighter. ” We started with Karate, Karate tournaments, Muay Thai, Jiu Jitsu and Jiu Jitsu tournaments. It then progressed to Sport Jiu Jitsu which was basically MMA. Everything was geared towards doing  MMA.”

It has been well documented that fighters such as Floyd Mayweather Jr., Shane Mosley, and Oscar De La Hoya have had problems dealing with the father/coach relationship. Jordan happily says, ” I want my father to get his percentage from his manager fee. He deserves it. Absolutely, he is still the key person driving my development.”

People have asked for this young man to represent a nation. They expect titles and great fame. In considering the path G.S.P. has forged, emulated Canada’s current king might be near impossible. Jordan’s hopes for himself: ” When I put my head on my pillow I hope to see myself being a great entertainer and filling seats. I want to give the people exciting shows.”

Jordan’s fight will air live on The Score in Canada and be broadcast on http://www.thescore.com/. The card begins at 7:30 (E.S.T.) The show will also feature former Pride star Rameau Sokoudjou (11-8) vs. Roy Boughton (5-1), host a battle between UFC veterans Joe Doerksen (46-15) and Luigi Fioravanti (22-9), and features, in separate matches, up-and-coming Canadians Antonio Carvalho (12-4) and Adrian Wooley (7-1). Check it out.

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Royce Gracie Needs to Fight at UFC 134 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

On Monday afternoon, legendary mixed martial artist Renzo Gracie was a guest on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, and the two discussed a variety of interesting topics. Perhaps the most noteworthy, though, was Gracie’s desire for one of his nam…

On Monday afternoon, legendary mixed martial artist Renzo Gracie was a guest on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, and the two discussed a variety of interesting topics. Perhaps the most noteworthy, though, was Gracie’s desire for one of his namesakes to fight during Zuffa’s return to Brazil at UFC 134.

“I hope Royce fights,” Renzo Gracie said. “To have a Gracie fight there would be great—great for the fans to have someone from my family fighting. I hoped to do it, but I don’t have the time to concentrate to it.”

Renzo Gracie is right. UFC 134 just wouldn’t seem right without a member of the infamous Gracie clan fighting on the card. After all, it was the Gracie’s who helped refine Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu into the beautiful art it is today, and it was Royce Gracie who won UFC 1, in the process, showing the fight world that size doesn’t matter.

It is unarguable that the Gracie family has played a key role in developing the sport of mixed martial arts into what it is today. Not only did Helio and Carlos Gracie create Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, but Rorion Gracie is a co-founder of the UFC and it was at his insistence that Royce represent the Gracie family at UFC 1.

To say the Gracies helped MMA evolve doesn’t do the family justice; the Gracies are mixed martial arts, especially Royce Gracie.

That’s why Royce Gracie needs to fight at UFC 134. He actually wanted to fight Matt Hughes in a re-match to avenge his loss to the power-bombing wrestler, but Gracie’s idea was nixed when Hughes was given a date with Diego Sanchez at UFC 135. Still, there are plenty of other intriguing matchups to make.

While indications are that he has yet to meet with Dana White since making his intentions to comeback known—the pair never met up at the UFC Fan Expo in Toronto when they were supposed to—now is the time for the two sides to get together, what with UFC 134 only a few short months away.

The card, as it stands, is stacked with Brazilian talent, including middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva defining the 185-pound title, the legendary Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in his return from a year-and-a-half long hiatus and former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in his first fight since dropping the belt.

In all, UFC 134 has 10 bouts that have been confirmed to some degree, so with the company’s recent trend of holding 12 fights on a card, there is still room for Royce Gracie to fight. With the addition of Royce Gracie to the card, UFC 134 has the potential to be something truly special for not only does Royce Gracie mean a lot to MMA, but he means even more to the people of Brazil.

Royce Gracie needs to fight at UFC 134 in Brazil. He holds an impressive legacy in the history of the sport and it’s safe to say the UFC wouldn’t exist today if he didn’t help put it on the map that one winter’s night in Denver, Colorado.

Put the man on the card, because not only does he want it, but it’s safe to say the fans want it too.

And with everything Royce Gracie has done for mixed martial arts, it’s truly the right thing to do.

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Renzo Says a Gracie Should Fight in Rio, but It Won’t Be Him

Filed under: UFCThe UFC’s August fight card in Rio de Janeiro is just about set, but one question remains: Will anyone from the first family of Brazilian jiu jitsu be a part of it?

One member of that family, Renzo Gracie, says he feels strongly that a…

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The UFC’s August fight card in Rio de Janeiro is just about set, but one question remains: Will anyone from the first family of Brazilian jiu jitsu be a part of it?

One member of that family, Renzo Gracie, says he feels strongly that a Gracie should be a part of the event. But Renzo says it won’t be him, because he simply hasn’t had time to prepare for an MMA fight with all the work it takes to run his own jiu jitsu school.

“In reality, I can’t,” Gracie said on The MMA Hour. “I have no time now. I was planning to, I began the training, but my life is so crazy I couldn’t dedicate 100 percent to that.”

Gracie said he would love to see his cousin Royce Gracie, the first UFC champion, fight on the UFC 134 card. And if not Royce, Renzo thinks someone named Gracie should be in the Octagon representing the family.

“I hope Royce fights,” Renzo said. “To have a Gracie fight there would be great — great for the fans, to have someone from my family fighting. I hoped to do it but I don’t have the time to concentrate to it.”

Renzo said his next competition will be an Abu Dhabi Combat Club grappling match with Mario Sperry, and then he’ll begin preparing for another UFC fight.

“For sure, I’ll be fighting,” Renzo said. “I would fight for free anywhere. That’s how much I like this. The UFC is paying me, so how could I say no, but that’s the reality. … I love the sport so much.”

Renzo, who last fought against former welterweight champion Matt Hughes in April of 2010, said that when he does fight again he’ll move down to lightweight. He also said that he’s sure he’ll continue to fight in the UFC and not move to another promotion, because of his respect for UFC President Dana White.

“It’s great,” Renzo said of the UFC. “I love Dana. I’ve known Dana since before he was the UFC president and I’ve always had a great relationship with him.”

According to Renzo, the fighting future of the Gracie family is bright and includes his own 16-year-old son, whom Renzo expects to see fighting in the UFC some day. Renzo said his son is a passionate student of jiu jitsu, and Renzo would love to see his son turn his attention full-time to jiu jitsu and MMA right now, but his wife insists that their son finish school first.

So we can rule out Renzo and his son UFC 134. But Renzo is still holding out hope that the UFC Rio card will include a Gracie.

 

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The 20 Greatest UFC Fighters of the Pre Zuffa Era

When one mentions the UFC, images of greats like Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva immediately come to mind.And why shouldn’t they?The men are legends, as are other well-known figures in MMA like Matt Hughes, Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz.However, ma…

When one mentions the UFC, images of greats like Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva immediately come to mind.

And why shouldn’t they?

The men are legends, as are other well-known figures in MMA like Matt Hughes, Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz.

However, many people forget that there was a generation of MMA before the current incarnation of the UFC—meaning before it was owned by Zuffa—and there were many fighters that were part of it.

While they may not hold a candle to the well-rounded fighters of today, here are the pre-Zuffa era’s best.

Begin Slideshow

On Myths, Men and MMA Legends

At UFC 129, I heard Mike Goldberg say the strangest thing: he called Vladimir Matyushenko a “legend.” Now, I understand that Mike has been prone to say many dubious things, like the time he described Travis Lutter’s Jiu-Jitsu as “Mich…

At UFC 129, I heard Mike Goldberg say the strangest thing: he called Vladimir Matyushenko a “legend.” Now, I understand that Mike has been prone to say many dubious things, like the time he described Travis Lutter’s Jiu-Jitsu as “Michael Jordan-esque.” I also understand that the man is simply trying to hype up fights. But calling Matyushenko a legend? Hold your horses, buddy.

Listen, I have absolutely no problem with Vladimir Matyushenko. The man has a great record (26-5) and has been through some tough fights in his long career. He has had several good battles against the likes of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Tito Ortiz, and Andrei Arlovski, among others. And to continue being competitive at his age? Remarkable.

Still, those achievements are not enough to earn the title of “legend.” His most notable accomplishments are winning the IFL Light Heavyweight championship from someone you’ve never heard of and defending said championship against someone you’ve never heard of.

Let me get to my point: Matyushenko is not a legend, he is a veteran. He’s a veteran the same way Yuki Kondo is a veteran, or Matt Serra (GSP upset withstanding), or even the beloved Fedor’s younger sibling.

To become a legend, you would need to have done something incredible for the sport. Royce Gracie very arguably sowed the roots of MMA to become what it is today. The Shamrock brothers are not just pioneers, they also brought the sport much needed exposure and were incredibly successful during their prime years.

Kazushi Sakuraba was one of the most exciting fighters to watch in Pride, and his victories over notable opposition made him a national hero in Japan. Chuck and Wanderlei held on to their UFC and Pride belts, respectively, for so long we thought they’d never lose them. Today, Anderson Silva’s legacy is secure as we wait for his next move.

Vernon White was a great fighter in his day. Carlos Newton won the UFC welterweight championship once. Renzo Gracie has had some really exciting fights over the years. These men are not legendary. They have been in the sport a long time, have had good success, and, well, that’s it.

To be sure, I don’t believe any of the veterans I have described would call themselves legendary. Aside from Frank Shamrock, most legends are humble and wouldn’t describe themselves as such either. Still, a distinction has to be made between the two. 50 years from now, what will MMA fans be remembering the most: BJ Penn winning belts in two divisions, or Luiz Azeredo’s three fight win streak in the early 2000s? Let’s not give the future something to laugh about when they recall the past and its tendency to bestow titles on the undeserving.

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Ken Shamrock Says Everyone Except the UFC Wants Shamrock vs. Royce Gracie III

Add Ken Shamrock to the list of those who would like to see Royce Gracie fight at UFC 134 in Rio.The rub is that Shamrock feels he would be the ideal opponent to face off against the Brazilian MMA legend.“That fight, Royce Gracie (versus) Ken Sh…

Add Ken Shamrock to the list of those who would like to see Royce Gracie fight at UFC 134 in Rio.

The rub is that Shamrock feels he would be the ideal opponent to face off against the Brazilian MMA legend.

“That fight, Royce Gracie (versus) Ken Shamrock, should happen,” Shamrock recently told Fight Network. “The fans want it, I want it, Royce wants it, Brazil wants it.” 

Shamrock then went on, ripping the promotion that could make the fight happen, saying “the only problem with that is you have a bunch of people who have big egos who believe that the UFC created this whole thing when they absolutely did not. People like myself and Royce Gracie and (Mark) Coleman and many, many other people created this UFC phenomenon, so that they can sit there and control it which is what they’re doing today, trying to control it for themselves. So they’re not gonna let that fight happen.”

If the two UFC Hall of Famers were to meet, Shamrock thinks their presence on the UFC 134 fight card would result in big pay-per-view numbers for the promotion.

“There’s no doubt in my mind, and anyone else will tell you, that if this fight was to happen, this would be the biggest pay-per-view to date, but they will not let that happen,” Shamrock said. “(The UFC) would have to swallow their egos for that to happen, and these guys have too big of egos to let that happen.”

Shamrock’s vitriol most likely stems from the loss of a lawsuit he filed against the UFC’s parent company, Zuffa, LLC. In the suit, Shamrock alleged that the promotion had violated the terms of his contract when they released him with one fight remaining on that contract. The judge in the case found in favor of Zuffa, however, and Shamrock was subsequently ordered to pay Zuffa’s attorney fees and other costs, totaling $175,000.

Shamrock and Gracie have battled twice before, with Gracie winning their first fight at UFC 1 via rear-naked choke submission. The second time they met, in a “superfight” at UFC 5, the fight was declared a draw after 36 minutes of action.

UFC 134 will take place August 27 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The fight card will be headlined by a middleweight title bout between champion Anderson Silva and the last man to gain a victory over him, Yushin Okami.

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