Jiu-Jitsu star Jacaré celebrates win at Dream in Japan. GRACIEMAG.com archive photo.
One of the greatest competitors of all times, Ronaldo “Jacaré” Souza is a hero to nine in ten Jiu-Jitsu fans. And the beast will be back in the cage this coming March 3 at Strikeforce.
No longer the Strikeforce middleweight champion, having lost a contested decision in his last outing, the Brazilian will now be taking on Derek Brunson, who is undefeated in his nine-fight career. “He’s really good. But I’m training hard, evolving a lot with every day, feeling really well, and I’ll be in tip-top shape come fight time,” Souza told GRACIEMAG.com.
Fighting in the same division as under-185 lb kingpin Anderson Silva, Jacaré this week was informed by Brazilian television network Sportv that an old acquaintance of his will be dropping to that weight too: Roger Gracie.
Souza assayed the arrival of Roger, who is in negotiations with the UFC (a source close to the fighter guarantees a deal has been reached, but Dana White denies it) and much more.
TRAINING JIU-JITSU FOR MMA
“I train in the gi at least twice a week, with the help of Sylvio Behring. I’m positive my Jiu-Jitsu has evolved a lot. In fact, it is precisely in the gi that I feel my Jiu-Jitsu has improved. I just have to prove it, and I will. I really want to put my Jiu-Jitsu into practice in MMA and prove to myself that I’m still good at it.”
“I’D FIGHT ROGER; IT JUST WOULDN’T MAKE SENSE, THOUGH”
I’ll fight anyone, and I would definitely fight Roger. But the match-up wouldn’t make sense; we’ve proven everything needing proving on the mat, doing Jiu-Jitsu. But if I had to, I’d definitely fight him. Right now, though, it doesn’t seem like it would have much appeal. I’d fight him, though.”
SLIMMED-DOWN ROGER GRACIE
“The way I see it, Roger is really big to drop to 185 lbs; he might not have such a good cut. He’s 1.9 meters (6’2”); it would be kind of weird him cutting to 185 lbs. But if he feels good, power to him. I like Roger; I root for him.”
TO GET GOOD AT MMA, FIRST DO JIU-JITSU
“Someone wanting to fight MMA has to do his homework, which is to compete a lot and train a lot in Jiu-Jitsu. Then you work on getting good on your feet, at takedowns, takedown defense, and you have to be good at Jiu-Jitsu both on top and on bottom. Here’s the tip: strive for constant evolution.
The post Jacaré talks Roger in MMA: “I’d fight him but we’ve already proven everything in the gi” first appeared on Graciemag.