BJJ Fighter
01-01-2004, 13:37
Ich freue mich unheimlich für Royce- habe immer an ihn und seine skills geglaubt- bei einem Gewichtsunterschied von 13 kg und dem Altersunterschied noch eine solche Leistung zu bringen verdient jeden Respekt der Welt. Tja- das absolute Highlight wäre wohl ein Abschlusskampf und Sieg über Matt Hughes...
In 1993, jiu-jitsu specialist Royce Gracie ushered in a new format for combat sports, dominating the early UFC scene with his family's grappling expertise. A decade on, Gracie stripped off his trademark Gi for the first time in order to settle a long-standing feud with Olympian Hidehiko Yoshida. Their first encounter - a grappling contest in August 2002 - ended in a controversial stoppage when the referee believed Gracie was out.
The New Year's Eve rematch allowed strikes, and Yoshida's battle-damaged visage was the result. The fight ended in a draw after two ten-minute rounds, though Gracie was in control for much of the bout. A press conference followed. Thanks go out to DSE for providing the footage for the transcript.
On father Helio and family...
I'd like to first say "Thank you" to my father, not for teaching me this style, not for teaching me how to fight, but for teaching me not to be lazy.
Thank you to my sparring partners for getting me up at five o'clock in the morning, every day, so I can put myself in Japan time.
My wife, my kids, for putting up with this life.
Thanks to Royler for coming up with this strategy, and for pushing me, keeping me going.
Nono, for teaching me about the stand-up world. I totally threw him (Yoshida) off with the strategy Nono and Royler put together.
And I can't forget Rickson. Like he said, "In a perfect world, the last thing I'd be would be a fighter." He helped put my head together, to look at the fight in a different way. He couldn't be here today, but I thank him very much. He's the top of the Gracie family.
I can't forget Royler, either. The guy's awesome.
On his physique...
I was able to take my Gi off because of James. He's my strength coach. He did a miracle! And I can't forget Dr. Patrick. He's been to all my fights. My brothers break me, and he fixes me.
I'm a product of their work. I have discipline, and I know how to listen.
On his training time...
Seven weeks. I heard rumors that Yoshida was asking for a rematch eight weeks ago. I thought, "Something's coming."
I asked for a rematch right after the last fight. But apparently they had other plans for him. I don't know if it was Pride or Yoshida that asked for it, but I'm glad they could put it together, to clean this up. That last match was stuck in my throat.
I've lost before. I know how to lose. Just don't rob me.
On the outcome...
You look at the fight, and you answer yourself. You tell me. Yes, it was a draw. He's a very tough opponent. He's very strong, very tough. But look at the fight, and you tell me who won.
On the appeal of the match...
It cleared up something that was stuck in my throat for the past year and a half. I got robbed. They stopped the fight for no reason. I was disgusted.
On a third bout...
That's something for the show to decide. Right now I just want to go home and see my kids.
On Yoshida...
Right after the fight, I told him, "Now I respect you." He took a beating like a man. Now I can sleep at night: he can sleep. We put a rock on top of this. Now it's done.
He's an expert in grappling, a world champion, an Olympic champion, and an open-weight champion in Japan. He knows how to defend. It's not easy to catch him. He's strong, he knows what he's doing. I gotta tire him out, I gotta punch him a couple times to soften him up.
On taking off his Gi top...
It was a strategy Nono and Royler came up with. I just listened to them. (We decided to do it) about a month ago. Jiu-jitsu is not just with a Gi. It's self-defense, it's not just a Gi sport. I changed my stance, with my right foot out.
On persuading him to take off the Gi was a "miracle"...
It was no miracle. My team told me to do it. He can't hold on to me, he can't stall. Watch how he stalls in this fight. He stalls a lot.
On preparation...
Watch the fight. That's exactly how I was trained. If you get video of the training, and watch the fight, it's exactly the same. The training was on track.
On last words...
Let's say that tonight, I was driving a yellow bus, a school bus, and I took Yoshida to school.
Quelle: MAXfighting.com
In 1993, jiu-jitsu specialist Royce Gracie ushered in a new format for combat sports, dominating the early UFC scene with his family's grappling expertise. A decade on, Gracie stripped off his trademark Gi for the first time in order to settle a long-standing feud with Olympian Hidehiko Yoshida. Their first encounter - a grappling contest in August 2002 - ended in a controversial stoppage when the referee believed Gracie was out.
The New Year's Eve rematch allowed strikes, and Yoshida's battle-damaged visage was the result. The fight ended in a draw after two ten-minute rounds, though Gracie was in control for much of the bout. A press conference followed. Thanks go out to DSE for providing the footage for the transcript.
On father Helio and family...
I'd like to first say "Thank you" to my father, not for teaching me this style, not for teaching me how to fight, but for teaching me not to be lazy.
Thank you to my sparring partners for getting me up at five o'clock in the morning, every day, so I can put myself in Japan time.
My wife, my kids, for putting up with this life.
Thanks to Royler for coming up with this strategy, and for pushing me, keeping me going.
Nono, for teaching me about the stand-up world. I totally threw him (Yoshida) off with the strategy Nono and Royler put together.
And I can't forget Rickson. Like he said, "In a perfect world, the last thing I'd be would be a fighter." He helped put my head together, to look at the fight in a different way. He couldn't be here today, but I thank him very much. He's the top of the Gracie family.
I can't forget Royler, either. The guy's awesome.
On his physique...
I was able to take my Gi off because of James. He's my strength coach. He did a miracle! And I can't forget Dr. Patrick. He's been to all my fights. My brothers break me, and he fixes me.
I'm a product of their work. I have discipline, and I know how to listen.
On his training time...
Seven weeks. I heard rumors that Yoshida was asking for a rematch eight weeks ago. I thought, "Something's coming."
I asked for a rematch right after the last fight. But apparently they had other plans for him. I don't know if it was Pride or Yoshida that asked for it, but I'm glad they could put it together, to clean this up. That last match was stuck in my throat.
I've lost before. I know how to lose. Just don't rob me.
On the outcome...
You look at the fight, and you answer yourself. You tell me. Yes, it was a draw. He's a very tough opponent. He's very strong, very tough. But look at the fight, and you tell me who won.
On the appeal of the match...
It cleared up something that was stuck in my throat for the past year and a half. I got robbed. They stopped the fight for no reason. I was disgusted.
On a third bout...
That's something for the show to decide. Right now I just want to go home and see my kids.
On Yoshida...
Right after the fight, I told him, "Now I respect you." He took a beating like a man. Now I can sleep at night: he can sleep. We put a rock on top of this. Now it's done.
He's an expert in grappling, a world champion, an Olympic champion, and an open-weight champion in Japan. He knows how to defend. It's not easy to catch him. He's strong, he knows what he's doing. I gotta tire him out, I gotta punch him a couple times to soften him up.
On taking off his Gi top...
It was a strategy Nono and Royler came up with. I just listened to them. (We decided to do it) about a month ago. Jiu-jitsu is not just with a Gi. It's self-defense, it's not just a Gi sport. I changed my stance, with my right foot out.
On persuading him to take off the Gi was a "miracle"...
It was no miracle. My team told me to do it. He can't hold on to me, he can't stall. Watch how he stalls in this fight. He stalls a lot.
On preparation...
Watch the fight. That's exactly how I was trained. If you get video of the training, and watch the fight, it's exactly the same. The training was on track.
On last words...
Let's say that tonight, I was driving a yellow bus, a school bus, and I took Yoshida to school.
Quelle: MAXfighting.com