It Is Easier Not To Be Brave By Martin Rooney
I heard those lyrics as the beginning of a song once a few years ago. As I sang them, I really didn't understand what they really meant. As I have gotten to know a number of the Gracie family over the past few years, I think I now understand it much better. We all know the story, Maeda brought Jiu-Jitsu to Brazil and taught it to the Gracie clan. We all know the stories of myriads of fights where the Gracie's again and again defended their family and art against bigger and ferocious fighters from anywhere in the world. This is a legend that exists in our own present time. It is rare to see this and even rarer to be a part of it.
When I started working with Rodrigo Gracie, I must say in some strange way I was jealous of him. My father was no master of an art that was passed down for generations. My last name did not have the power to strike fear as well as demand the respect of others. I felt as if things were perhaps given to him in an unfair way, and that it should be easy for him to take that name into battle on the biggest fighting stage in the world. One might expect that this Pride fight against Daijiro Matsui is just another birthright for being born a Gracie. Over the years of knowing Rodrigo, this could be no further from the truth, and I must say that the surname Gracie could be as much blessing as a curse in today's vicious climate of mixed Martial Arts. This article will chronicle Rodrigo's past history as well as his current training and first major fight on the world stage.
Over the past five months, we have been training diligently for this fight. You could see the renewed fire in his training with the weights, on the mats and sparring in the gym. He attacked the training like an animal. There is one thing that is for sure, there is no quite in this man. I have watched him battle trough pain and injuries without ever suggesting stopping. When I would ask if he wanted to rest he would answer, "This is not ballet, man!" and we would push on.
He has improved his strength, speed, flexibility and nutrition for this fight.
One might ask, "Why has he turned up his training so much?" "He is a Gracie, he should be ready." When he and I would converse about this topic, he would relay how many things are at stake. This is a turning point for him as well as his chance to add his name to the family's legacy. There is a financial need, but the pressure to win, goes much deeper than this. When you step into that ring, you are stepping in for every Gracie that has stepped in their before you. There is much more expected of you because of this, and there can be no relaxing. When people hear the Gracie name, they expect victory they expect excitement. Imagine this on your shoulders in your first major fight against a very experienced opponent whose only goal in life is to defeat a man with your last name.
Rodrigo is not blind to this, and therefore his training presses on forward.
Don't assume that because you are born with the Gracie name that you are destined to fight. Rodrigo has two brothers that have done Jiu-Jitsu, but there will be no Pride fights for either of them. Fighting is in his blood; he just has a lot more pressure on his back because of it. He has all the tools, the technique, the strength, the speed, and the mindset. That is what he is going to have to take the battle. We all know that there are no easy fights anymore. His first opponent, however, has faced Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort, Carlos Newton, Vonchanchyn, Shoji, and defeated Pele to name a few. We all know that there can be only one winner. We all know that your last fight judges you. We know that Pride can seat 50 thousand. This is a lot for a 27 year old to handle. I don't write this to impress upon you to try to put yourself in his shoes. Rodrigo is a fun loving guy with an uncanny knack to recite from any movie in the sound of the actor's voice. His Schwarzenegger impression is flawless and never fails to draw smiles from all around. Over the number of weeks, however, this jovial attitude has taken one of a Spartan going to war. Rodrigo has been training twice a day for two hours, five times per week in preparation for this fight. His hands are sharp and strength is improved. His body looks bigger and stronger than ever, and the chiseled physique is going to impress even the toughest critic.
Matsui's fights have been reviewed and the strategy has been prepared. We know it is going to be a long battle. No one has been able to submit Matsui and this is Rodrigo's goal. To attain submission will put him on the map of MMA in a big way. This would prove he was able to do what others before him could not. This would also rectify the Gracie name in Japan and on the world stage.
The next generation
The training for the week went very well. Rodrigo got to Tokyo on Tuesday before the fight, so he acclimated to the time change quickly. Rodrigo trained each night by working in his stand-up and specific positions designed to defeat Matsui. As we would later see, this specific strategy work would be the key to victory. Renzo had Rodrigo work to defend the take down and then move to guillotine. As each day of training progressed, Rodrigo moved more swiftly into the designed moves. Rodrigo officially weighted in at a very muscular 85 kg. He looked much bigger than Matsui. Reporters stated that this is not what they expected, but there was more of that for the Japanese to come. The fight day in Pride is a long one. First there is an hour bus ride to the super arena, then almost six hours of waiting before the fight. This can be an unnerving time for the fighters, but Rodrigo remained relaxed. Cachorrao and Renzo kept Rodrigo cool and focused on the game plan for the fight.
As Pride 19 began, the team adrenalin started to surge. As Erickson was finishing Katalfo, we were being ushered into position under the stadium. It was cold there and Rodrigo donned a donated Isami gi. He began to warm up with boxing, pummeling, and groundwork. The Wallid-Steibling fight seemed to take forever. After Steibling received the decision, it was time. I don't know if Rodrigo understood the magnitude of what he was about to do. As we would later see, he was ushering the next generation of Gracie fighters. In the past, the Gracie's have always been known for their stoic, methodical approach to victory. Like a lion hiding in the reeds stalking its prey, it takes its victim by surprise. Rodrigo, however was about to use a different type of introduction.
As a child in Brazil, Rodrigo would watch the "Changeman" show. As advice from a Japanese student of his, Rodrigo used the song as his entrance music. As the music began, you could hear and feel the shock of the crowd. How does a Gracie know this show? How does a Gracie know the lyric in Japanese? How can a Gracie get in a full Changeman pose down? The crowd erupted and embraced him as he ignited them. There was electricity in the air. Rodrigo then disrobed and jumped over the ropes to another roar of the now adoring fans.
Matsui entered the arena as if the end was near. Little did he know that this would soon be true? As the fight began, Matsui adopted his boxing stance. Rodrigo knew from his films that Matsui would try to box with a grappler. Rodrigo was cool and began to land on Matsui. Talking to the reporters later, they were very surprised at the brought back to the feet, Rodrigo landed a huge overhand right on Matsui's left eye that sent him reeling into the ropes. Rodrigo was all over him, and took him down again. The crowd was so silent that you could hear Renzo' instructing Rodrigo to stay calm and breathe. Rodrigo also mounted Matsui and controlled him at all times they spent on the ground. In another show of dominance, Matsui was carried by Rodrigo from the guard to the center of the ring, like a monkey carries a baby on its belly. While Rodrigo was in Matsui's guard, he landed a big shot to Matsui's nose. This led to a huge trail of blood that began to leave the white mat red. The round ended with Matsui battered, and the crowd stunned by the aggressiveness of the attack of this newest Gracie.
During the second round, Rodrigo got Matsui's back and almost sank the mata-leao, but Matsui barely defended by controlling Rodrigo's left arm. Rodrigo went on hammering Matsui and the fight had to be stopped twice secondary to the amount of bleeding from his nose. The fighters were both also issued a yellow card in the second round for a lack of action. At the end of the second round, Matsui looked tired while the rookie Rodrigo was relaxed and calm like a seasoned veteran. The third round began with more stand ups. Matsui had not attempted a takedown until this time, and now it would be his demise. He shot in for Rodrigo's left leg, but Rodrigo sprawled and clinched down on Matsui's upper body. Just like in practice all week, Rodrigo's body automatically sank into position under Matsui and he finalized the choke. Victory was his! Renzo, Cachorrao, and I leaped into the ring and held him aloft. Rodrigo had tapped the man that no other before him could finalize. As we exited the ring, the Japanese fans groped at Rodrigo screaming for the Changeman pose, which he graciously gave to them. Rodrigo had done everything everyone could have asked of him. He won the crowd, he won the fight, and he won the respect that could only be given to a man with the family man Gracie. With this new combination of strength, speed, and technique Rodrigo too has added a new chapter to the family legacy.
When I started working with Rodrigo Gracie, I must say in some strange way I was jealous of him. My father was no master of an art that was passed down for generations. My last name did not have the power to strike fear as well as demand the respect of others. I felt as if things were perhaps given to him in an unfair way, and that it should be easy for him to take that name into battle on the biggest fighting stage in the world. One might expect that this Pride fight against Daijiro Matsui is just another birthright for being born a Gracie. Over the years of knowing Rodrigo, this could be no further from the truth, and I must say that the surname Gracie could be as much blessing as a curse in today's vicious climate of mixed Martial Arts. This article will chronicle Rodrigo's past history as well as his current training and first major fight on the world stage.
Over the past five months, we have been training diligently for this fight. You could see the renewed fire in his training with the weights, on the mats and sparring in the gym. He attacked the training like an animal. There is one thing that is for sure, there is no quite in this man. I have watched him battle trough pain and injuries without ever suggesting stopping. When I would ask if he wanted to rest he would answer, "This is not ballet, man!" and we would push on.
He has improved his strength, speed, flexibility and nutrition for this fight.
One might ask, "Why has he turned up his training so much?" "He is a Gracie, he should be ready." When he and I would converse about this topic, he would relay how many things are at stake. This is a turning point for him as well as his chance to add his name to the family's legacy. There is a financial need, but the pressure to win, goes much deeper than this. When you step into that ring, you are stepping in for every Gracie that has stepped in their before you. There is much more expected of you because of this, and there can be no relaxing. When people hear the Gracie name, they expect victory they expect excitement. Imagine this on your shoulders in your first major fight against a very experienced opponent whose only goal in life is to defeat a man with your last name.
Rodrigo is not blind to this, and therefore his training presses on forward.
Don't assume that because you are born with the Gracie name that you are destined to fight. Rodrigo has two brothers that have done Jiu-Jitsu, but there will be no Pride fights for either of them. Fighting is in his blood; he just has a lot more pressure on his back because of it. He has all the tools, the technique, the strength, the speed, and the mindset. That is what he is going to have to take the battle. We all know that there are no easy fights anymore. His first opponent, however, has faced Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort, Carlos Newton, Vonchanchyn, Shoji, and defeated Pele to name a few. We all know that there can be only one winner. We all know that your last fight judges you. We know that Pride can seat 50 thousand. This is a lot for a 27 year old to handle. I don't write this to impress upon you to try to put yourself in his shoes. Rodrigo is a fun loving guy with an uncanny knack to recite from any movie in the sound of the actor's voice. His Schwarzenegger impression is flawless and never fails to draw smiles from all around. Over the number of weeks, however, this jovial attitude has taken one of a Spartan going to war. Rodrigo has been training twice a day for two hours, five times per week in preparation for this fight. His hands are sharp and strength is improved. His body looks bigger and stronger than ever, and the chiseled physique is going to impress even the toughest critic.
Matsui's fights have been reviewed and the strategy has been prepared. We know it is going to be a long battle. No one has been able to submit Matsui and this is Rodrigo's goal. To attain submission will put him on the map of MMA in a big way. This would prove he was able to do what others before him could not. This would also rectify the Gracie name in Japan and on the world stage.
The training for the week went very well. Rodrigo got to Tokyo on Tuesday before the fight, so he acclimated to the time change quickly. Rodrigo trained each night by working in his stand-up and specific positions designed to defeat Matsui. As we would later see, this specific strategy work would be the key to victory. Renzo had Rodrigo work to defend the take down and then move to guillotine. As each day of training progressed, Rodrigo moved more swiftly into the designed moves. Rodrigo officially weighted in at a very muscular 85 kg. He looked much bigger than Matsui. Reporters stated that this is not what they expected, but there was more of that for the Japanese to come. The fight day in Pride is a long one. First there is an hour bus ride to the super arena, then almost six hours of waiting before the fight. This can be an unnerving time for the fighters, but Rodrigo remained relaxed. Cachorrao and Renzo kept Rodrigo cool and focused on the game plan for the fight.
As Pride 19 began, the team adrenalin started to surge. As Erickson was finishing Katalfo, we were being ushered into position under the stadium. It was cold there and Rodrigo donned a donated Isami gi. He began to warm up with boxing, pummeling, and groundwork. The Wallid-Steibling fight seemed to take forever. After Steibling received the decision, it was time. I don't know if Rodrigo understood the magnitude of what he was about to do. As we would later see, he was ushering the next generation of Gracie fighters. In the past, the Gracie's have always been known for their stoic, methodical approach to victory. Like a lion hiding in the reeds stalking its prey, it takes its victim by surprise. Rodrigo, however was about to use a different type of introduction.
As a child in Brazil, Rodrigo would watch the "Changeman" show. As advice from a Japanese student of his, Rodrigo used the song as his entrance music. As the music began, you could hear and feel the shock of the crowd. How does a Gracie know this show? How does a Gracie know the lyric in Japanese? How can a Gracie get in a full Changeman pose down? The crowd erupted and embraced him as he ignited them. There was electricity in the air. Rodrigo then disrobed and jumped over the ropes to another roar of the now adoring fans.
Matsui entered the arena as if the end was near. Little did he know that this would soon be true? As the fight began, Matsui adopted his boxing stance. Rodrigo knew from his films that Matsui would try to box with a grappler. Rodrigo was cool and began to land on Matsui. Talking to the reporters later, they were very surprised at the brought back to the feet, Rodrigo landed a huge overhand right on Matsui's left eye that sent him reeling into the ropes. Rodrigo was all over him, and took him down again. The crowd was so silent that you could hear Renzo' instructing Rodrigo to stay calm and breathe. Rodrigo also mounted Matsui and controlled him at all times they spent on the ground. In another show of dominance, Matsui was carried by Rodrigo from the guard to the center of the ring, like a monkey carries a baby on its belly. While Rodrigo was in Matsui's guard, he landed a big shot to Matsui's nose. This led to a huge trail of blood that began to leave the white mat red. The round ended with Matsui battered, and the crowd stunned by the aggressiveness of the attack of this newest Gracie.
During the second round, Rodrigo got Matsui's back and almost sank the mata-leao, but Matsui barely defended by controlling Rodrigo's left arm. Rodrigo went on hammering Matsui and the fight had to be stopped twice secondary to the amount of bleeding from his nose. The fighters were both also issued a yellow card in the second round for a lack of action. At the end of the second round, Matsui looked tired while the rookie Rodrigo was relaxed and calm like a seasoned veteran. The third round began with more stand ups. Matsui had not attempted a takedown until this time, and now it would be his demise. He shot in for Rodrigo's left leg, but Rodrigo sprawled and clinched down on Matsui's upper body. Just like in practice all week, Rodrigo's body automatically sank into position under Matsui and he finalized the choke. Victory was his! Renzo, Cachorrao, and I leaped into the ring and held him aloft. Rodrigo had tapped the man that no other before him could finalize. As we exited the ring, the Japanese fans groped at Rodrigo screaming for the Changeman pose, which he graciously gave to them. Rodrigo had done everything everyone could have asked of him. He won the crowd, he won the fight, and he won the respect that could only be given to a man with the family man Gracie. With this new combination of strength, speed, and technique Rodrigo too has added a new chapter to the family legacy.
