Royce Gracie doesn’t agree with rule changes should a “Legend’s League” ever materialize. The legendary mixed martial arts (MMA) competitor is well aware of Vitor Belfort’s attempt to put the spotlight back on the MMA greats of yesteryear. Gracie certainly sees a place for legends in the sport today. He defeated Ken Shamrock at Bellator […]
Royce Gracie doesn’t agree with rule changes should a “Legend’s League” ever materialize. The legendary mixed martial arts (MMA) competitor is well aware of Vitor Belfort’s attempt to put the spotlight back on the MMA greats of yesteryear. Gracie certainly sees a place for legends in the sport today. He defeated Ken Shamrock at Bellator […]
Old grudges die hard, and with news of Luke Rockhold trying to take on Fabricio Werdum it’s seems a beef is never really settled until it’s settled. However, like Nas and Jay-z, there comes a point where you get up in age and you have to let bygones be bygones, especially when the hatchet will be buried on live t.v.
Old grudges die hard, and with news of Luke Rockhold trying to take on Fabricio Werdum it’s seems a beef is never really settled until it’s settled. However, like Nas and Jay-z, there comes a point where you get up in age and you have to let bygones be bygones, especially when the hatchet will be buried on live t.v.
In a recent MMAFighting article, it was revealed that Royce Gracie is still interested in avenging a TKO beating he suffered at the hands of Matt Hughes at UFC 60. The event took place nearly 11 years ago but apparently the fire still burns hot – at least on Gracie’s end.
“Man, that would be great,” Gracie said. “That would be great. Everybody wants to see this second fight.”
Really? because after seeing the geriatric match he had with Ken Shamrock I really don’t know if I want to see Royce in anything other than a jiu jitsu tournament. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a legend in the sport but in all honesty he’s well past his prime and anything he does at this point is more for himself than the fans.
“I never stopped training, I never stopped working out,” “My body is in great shape, the machine is working. There’s only one way to find out (who would win): we have to do it again.”
With all that being said, if they made the fight, I’m sure most of us would watch. Not necessarily to see a competitive matchup but more so to see two legends go at it. In my personal opinion, the fight goes the same as the first, with Hughes taking him out in the first round, but it’s sports, you never know.
“Boy, if you want to fight me right now, I’ll meet you there [laughs],” he continued. “When you’re a fighter, you have to be ready all the time. There’s no ‘I need a month’. It’s always time. When you’re a fighter, any time is time to fight. I won’t ask for more time, say ‘I need to get ready’. You’re a warrior or you’re not.”
Well, if there’s one thing that’s for sure it’s that Royce Gracie is definitely a warrior and his love for martial arts is unparalleled.
Hit us up in the comments section and let us know if you’d like to see this fight LIVE from a nursing home near you.
Last week, it was reported that former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes was interested in making a comeback to mixed martial arts despite the fact that he hasn’t competed since a 2011 loss to Josh Koscheck. Some have speculated that Hughes is in interested in returning for a rematch with the legendary Royce Gracie under
Some have speculated that Hughes is in interested in returning for a rematch with the legendary Royce Gracie under the Bellator banner and it appears as if the Brazilian would be all for it:
“Man, that would be great,” Gracie told MMA Fighting. “That would be great. Everybody wants to see this second fight.”
Gracie and Hughes first fought at UFC in 2006 where Hughes scored TKO victory. Gracie then fought once in 2007 before retiring only to make his return last year at Bellator 149 where he scored a highly controversial TKO victory over Ken Shamrock.
Despite being 50-years-old, Gracie says that his body is in ‘great shape’, and he appears to be ready to fight again:
“I never stopped training, I never stopped working out,” said Gracie, “My body is in great shape, the machine is working. There’s only one way to find out (who would win): we have to do it again.”
“Boy, if you want to fight me right now, I’ll meet you there [laughs],” he continued. “When you’re a fighter, you have to be ready all the time. There’s no ‘I need a month’. It’s always time. When you’re a fighter, any time is time to fight. I won’t ask for more time, say ‘I need to get ready’. You’re a warrior or you’re not.”
Would you be interested in seeing these two legends do battle?
A proven ability to finish fights is undoubtedly one of the most desirable attributes any fighter could ever wish to possess to become a success in mixed martial arts (MMA). Whether it’s by knockout or submission, fans want to see fights being finished, and so fighters who repeatedly demonstrate that killer instinct in the cage
A proven ability to finish fights is undoubtedly one of the most desirable attributes any fighter could ever wish to possess to become a success in mixed martial arts (MMA).
Whether it’s by knockout or submission, fans want to see fights being finished, and so fighters who repeatedly demonstrate that killer instinct in the cage can quickly become valuable assets to a major organization like the UFC, and are more likely to become stars than their counterparts who leave their fate in the hands of the judges.
In this article we’ll seek to establish who the best of all-time are at finishing fights in the UFC, but before we begin, let’s quickly explain the methodology behind our rankings. First up, to provide somewhat of an even playing field we’re only taking into consideration fights that took place in the UFC, since some fighters records are padded out with finishes against low-level competition on the regional circuit.
The most important criteria is simply the number of finishes the fighter has aquired in the Octagon, but if there’s a tie, then we’ll separate them by comparing the number of finishes they have to their overall winning record in the UFC. If there’s still a deadlock, then we’ll move on to establishing who finishes their fights the quickest.
With that in mind, honorable mentions go out to four fan favorites: Randy Couture, Andrei Arlovski, Nate Diaz and Matt Brown, who all have 11 finishes on their records and only narrowly missed out on a spot in the Top 10 based on our criteria.
Remember the days of the prominent Gracie family in mixed martial arts? Of course you do because they’re influence is still around to this day. But that’s not even entirely the truth. It seems that these days even more fighters from the Gracie family tree are actively competing in MMA. From Royce Gracie, the man who introduced the proficiency of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the first ever UFC event, to Neiman Gracie who most recently competed at Bellator 163 back in November 2016, the Gracie family is still very much active on the scene. But an interesting pattern is beginning to arise. Frankly, it seems like Bellator is becoming a breeding ground for members of the Gracie family looking to excel in the sport.
Remember the days of the prominent Gracie family in mixed martial arts? Of course you do because they’re influence is still around to this day. But that’s not even entirely the truth. It seems that these days even more fighters from the Gracie family tree are actively competing in MMA. From Royce Gracie, the man who introduced the proficiency of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the first ever UFC event, to Neiman Gracie who most recently competed at Bellator 163 back in November 2016, the Gracie family is still very much active on the scene. But an interesting pattern is beginning to arise. Frankly, it seems like Bellator is becoming a breeding ground for members of the Gracie family looking to excel in the sport.
Think about it. Neiman Gracie made his promotional debut at Bellator 134 after a short stint in The World Series of Fighting organization. Then Royce Gracie made his return in February 2016 at Bellator 149 opposite long time rival Ken Shamrock. Neiman would compete under the Bellator banner twice more in 2016 and now as we enter 2017, Ralek Gracie has decided to make his return to the cage in a bout against the dangerous Hisaki Kato.
It’s an interesting turn of events to say the least. The Gracie’s have been around since the inception of MMA and through the generations have still managed to remain competitive. But with so many Gracie’s competing in Bellator, as well as Royce working behind the scenes with the organization at one point, you could say that the second biggest MMA promotion is perhaps becoming something of a breeding ground for “royal family” of MMA.
Now, that’s not to say they’re being favorable match ups, that’s up to debate. After all, Hisaki Kato has been pretty competitive against some decent competition and in turn Ralek has taken up the challenge. But it’s interesting to see that three Gracie’s have competed for the same organization within the last two years. One has to wonder if the family is planning on once again establishing themselves as the premier combatants in MMA.
Is all of this by design?
Who knows really. While more Gracie family members are making the transition to Bellator MMA that doesn’t mean they’re being given any favorable match ups. At this point in the game it would seem that the Gracie family is battling back to once again demonstrate what made them the most dangerous name in MMA. Bellator may be just the organization to get that agenda across in 2017 and beyond. If Ralek Gracie succeeds at Bellator 170 on Saturday, it wouldn’t be surprising to see more members of the revered family compete under the banner.
What do you think of this recent Gracie resurgence in Bellator?
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
As with many other sports, mixed martial arts has always had its fair share of cheaters who will try to get away with using performance-enhancing drugs in the hopes of gaining a competitive advantage in the cage. However, when it comes to making up excuses for why they’ve failed a drug test, it’s fair to
As with many other sports, mixed martial arts has always had its fair share of cheaters who will try to get away with using performance-enhancing drugs in the hopes of gaining a competitive advantage in the cage.
However, when it comes to making up excuses for why they’ve failed a drug test, it’s fair to say that MMA fighters truly are in a league of their own.
As you’ll discover in the pages that follow, in MMA no excuse is too flimsy, too far-fetched, or frankly just too downright embarrassing not to be used in an attempt to convince people that this is all just a big mistake and their bulging biceps, limitless cardio and superhuman powers of recovery have nothing to do with a cocktail of illegal drugs surging through their system.
Anderson Silva
The mixed martial arts world was rocked in 2015 by the news that arguably the greatest fighter of all time, Anderson Silva had tested positive for two anabolic steroids.
Silva was quick to protest his innocence, declaring that, “I always played clean, I was never a cheater,” and vowed to clear his name.
We all wanted to believe him, and several months his team confidently declared that he would be cleared at an upcoming Nevada State Athletic Commission hearing.
MMA fans waited with baited breath in the hope that this had all just been a big misunderstanding, only to discover that the best his legal team could come up with was that he’d unwittingly taken a tainted love potion.
The ludicrous story that unfolded during the hearing was that Silva had been given this mysterious sexual enhancement medication (originating from Thailand and housed in an unlabeled blue vial) by a friend, and had consumed it for three months prior to his fight without ever stopping to question whether it was above board or not.
If that wasn’t comical enough, an ingenious fan managed to hack into NSAC’s speakerphone system during the hearing and played hits including, Salt N Pepa’s – ‘Let’s Talk About Sex’, 2 live Crew’s – ‘Me So Horny,’ and Shaggy’s – ‘It Wasn’t Me’, which had even the commissioners struggling to stifle their laughter.
Needless to say NSAC didn’t believe a word of his defense, and Silva would be hit with a one year suspension as well as a $360,000 fine.
