Roger, with Renzo (in blue), Kyra and Rickson / Photo: Daren Bartlett
While fighting back a nagging desire to be wearing not jeans and a T-shirt but shorts and a rash guard, Roger Gracie relished ADCC 2011 amid his numerous fans and students in England. Following the event, Roger, like Marcelo Garcia, was trapped in the gymnasium, swamped by hordes of people asking for photos, autographs, handshakes and to exchange brief conversations.
Despite investing more and more of his time and energy on MMA training – and with audacious plans to perhaps join the stacked UFC light heavyweight division –, Roger still guarantees he will be back in his uniform of choice, the one that brought him to fame: the white gi. “I’ll be competing at the 2012 Jiu-Jitsu World Championship,” he said, responding to an inquirer. And nor does he discard the possibility of appearing at ADCC 2013.
On the grappling spectacle that transpired in Nottingham, England, over the weekend, he made his contentment apparent, however incomplete the contest was for him.
“I’m happy about Kyra; she was strategically flawless, didn’t make a single mistake. I’m impressed by how she did everything just right and had a perfect campaign. Bráulio was great throughout the entire supermatch. The only thing missing was a win from Renzo, who fought well but the task of facing a 100kg Zé Mário while weighing 80kg was a trickier one. He tried compensating for the weight difference with speed, and it worked as far as the wet and slippery mat permitted,” recalled Roger, referring to the humidity caused by there being an ice hockey ring one floor below the main arena.
“I enjoyed the matches, learned a lot today. Truth is, I’m always learning. And the standout in the men’s contest really was André Galvão. I’ve never seen him so technically and physically well prepared before. He’s to be congratulated for his performance. The absolute title ended up in the right hands,” said the 2005 open weight champion in praise.
But enough banter, let’s get to the position the Gracie taught exclusively for GRACIEMAG.com readers, with the help of black belt Alex Faria, who also teacher at Roger Gracie Academy in London.
