Paquetá in photo by Junior Samurai
A well-known personality accustomed to the days when MMA in Rio de Janeiro was something commonplace, Oswaldo “Paquetá” Gomes da Rosa saw UFC Rio/134 with a different view. A more ponderous and serene vision, perhaps, than the folks bellowing in the stands at the HSBC Arena this Saturday.
It also comes down to Master Paquetá no longer being a lad, and is recovering from bypass surgery. This afternoon, following a stroll on the Copacabana boardwalk, Carlson Gracie’s trusty sidekick joyfully commented on the blast the Brazilians had at UFC Rio.
“Son, the party was indeed beautiful. And I didn’t get the outcome of a single fight wrong in my predictions to friends. To tell you the truth, I only got one wrong: Anderson’s fight – I was mistaken about which round Okami would be knocked out in. I got every other one right. I’d have made loot if I’d bet…” said Paquetá, who confirmed that his bypass operation was a success: “My heart hung in there strong. But I stayed at home, didn’t want to deal with parking, having to walk… And it’s a good thing I stayed at home, isn’t it? That Minotauro’s a handful.”
To not say everything is a bed of roses, Paquetá was upset about a former maid who worked for him and apparently misappropriated some of his belongings and then disappeared. “I’ve been working here for three years… And now this,” he said, as serene as only someone who started practicing Jiu-Jitsu in the 1950s could be.
But he quickly changed the subject, expressing grievances about the director of the magazine: “What about Luca? Are you authorized to give him an earful? He never calls and hasn’t even sent me any copies of GRACIEMAG. There’s no forgiving that.” Words from the master.
