In the 1990s, Renzo Gracie and Fabio Clemente were two of the first movers on the BJJ scene in New York City. Fabio Clemente switched his affiliation from the Machados to Alliance while Renzo was starting his own association after coming up through the ranks at Gracie Barra. Like the Genovese and the Columbo crime families, a heated rivalry erupted between the two academies. There was some back and forth smack talk between the academies and two of their rising blue/purple belt stars; future UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Serra of Renzo Gracie and Babs Olusanmokun of Alliance. The two collided at a Super Fight in New York City and even though the footage is greyed and grainy, you could sense the excitement and tension in the air as these two men battled in their match.
The match is appropriately set to The Beastie Boys “An Open Letter to NYC.”
The post Gangs of New York: Matt Serra (Renzo Gracie) vs Babs Olusanmokun (Alliance) appeared first on Jiu-Jitsu Times.