Roger and Jacaré go at it for the first time, in 2002, in a riveting absolute brown belt final. Photo: Gustavo Aragão.
The idea of a no-time limit sport Jiu-Jitsu match born (or reborn) in the USA last June fired up GRACIEMAG.com readers and fans of the sport all around the world. Then it went cold, though.
Unable to come to terms on the purse (10 thousand dollars to the winner in the initial proposal), the first matchup put together by the promoters, between Alliance ace Rubens Cobrinha and Rafael Mendes, didn’t make it off drawing board, the latter unpleased by the sum.
So what would be a fair price for such a bout? To answer the question left hanging, GRACIEMAG.com invited a former fighter and hotshot promoter with first-hand knowledge on the subject, Wallid Ismail.
We asked: How much, for example, would a match between two monsters and archrivals like Roger Gracie and Ronaldo Jacaré be worth – the former a Jiu-Jitsu-title record holder, three-time absolute champion and undefeated MMA fighter; and Jacaré a star at Strikeforce becoming ever-more popular in the sport thanks to American television, and a postulant for the title at this weekend’s event?
A big-time promoter who knows his way around the market, Wallid gave his straight opinion as one who has already participated in such a match, against Royce Gracie in 1998, before a packed arena on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach.
“The fair price for such a match? I’m going to tell you something and you can put it in what you’re writing there. The fair price for any match is what is on the table. It’s how much the interested promoter is able to put together. Then the fighter evaluates whether he does or doesn’t want to fight. If there’s a desire to make the fight happen, the interested parties will reach an agreement,” Wallid philosophizes.
“When I fought Royce with no time limit over ten years ago the purse was practically double that, but you have to take into account who Royce was. He was the man, the UFC superstar. And with the appeal of all our rivalry, for me having beaten two members of his family, it was thus a fair price.”
There it is, would 20 thousand be a fair price these day?
Check out the classic between Jaca and Roger at the 2004 Worlds and leave your opinion: How much would you pay for a ticket to a no-time limit match between those two?
