Roger Gracie is in Rio de Janeiro for his holiday vacations.
GRACIEMAG’s Marcelo Dunlop talked to the three-time black belt absolute world champion about his future.
His answers were straightforward, as always.
After an ill-fated incursion in the UFC, where he lost to Tim Kennedy and was let go by the organization, Roger went back to training without knowing exactly his future would be.
He still doesn’t know: “I may stay on MMA, go back to Jiu-Jitu or retire.”
The Gracie that holds no less than 10 gold medals in Jiu-Jitsu world championships and has a 6-2 MMA record says why he is thinking of retiring: “My family is bigger now with the birth of my daughter Maya. My academies in London are doing great, so I have a lot going on.”
Asked if he would consider face one of the young guns of Jiu-Jitsu like Marcus Bucehcha or Rodolfo Vieira in a superfight like the one he did in 2012 with Buchecha at Metamoris, he didn’t close that door: “It would have to be something very good for me and I would have to be very well prepared. I don’t want to live another experience like Metamoris, when I got carried away and went on with a fight in a bad physical condition, coming from a very bad infection.”
Regarding the continuity of his MMA career, Roger says he still has the drive to fight: “The tendency is to fight for a few more years and then retire naturally. I’m still 32 so I think I can be in top shape for few years longer. My manager Jorge Guimarães is looking for a good event while I think all that over”.
