De La Riva. Photo: William Burkhardt
Ricardo De La Riva will be having his farewell fight. However, it won’t be against Renzo Gracie, who previously made the claim to GRACIEMAG.com himself. A source close to the master, responsible for negotiating the match but preferring not have his identity revealed, contacted the newsroom and addressed the subject of the farewell match.
“There really will be a major event with superfights to mark De La Riva’s farewell. What happened was that the organizers of the event contacted Renzo without De La Riva knowing about it, and they proposed the challenge. Renzo, unaware of what was going on, promptly accepted. It was a big misunderstanding, though. Renzo didn’t lie; the offer really was made to him and he accepted. But Ricardo knew nothing of it. At this moment he happens to be in South Korea,” said the anonymous source.
“It will be a farewell match and Renzo must be about 20kg heavier than De La Riva right now. That’s not what we have in mind for the match. However, we’re close to sealing the deal with another major opponent, who leaves nothing to be desired. I can’t say who it is yet, but it’s someone with history in Jiu-Jitsu. I’ll give you a hint, they’ve faced each other before,” he adds.
The opponent should be confirmed next month. Check back with GRACIEMAG.com for more breaking news on De La Riva’s farewell bout.
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