Roger Gracie. Photos: One FC
Roger Gracie won his first MMA belt this past weekend, when he finished Michal Pasternack for the One FC light-heavyweight title, in Singapore.
After returning to London to celebrate with friends and family, Roger took the time to talk exclusively with GRACIEMAG.com.
First he talked about the meaning of having won the belt.
“It’s right up there with my most important titles in Jiu-Jitsu. I was feeling very well prepared for this fight and I am really proud of how dominant I was able to be during the match,” said the Gracie about the katagatami finish that earned him the win.
Roger finishes Pasternack with a katagatami
Roger also spoke about how his skill set has changed since he started out his MMA career.
“At first, I didn’t feel comfortable at all with my striking, so my only option was to take the fight to the ground. Nowadays, specially on my last four fights, I’m much more comfortable with my striking skills, so I don’t feel obligated to take my fights to the ground.”
In closing, Roger told us what he wants for his future.
“The light-heavyweight is not my original division at One FC, but as they offered me a title fight, I accepted. After the fight, I challenged the middleweight champion,Vitaly Bigdash, for the middleweight belt. I believe my next fight will be against him.”
