http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqOOmqZ2jmE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4_a_5J6RpU&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWARKzVWOgk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_EqQxjc_q8&feature=related
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Royce Gracie is the man!
Agreed. I hated when they had him fight Matt Hughes...i felt like it was just this big publicity thing. Royce was old and Hughes was in his prime. It was a shame. I felt like it was some wrestling vs. jiu jitsu match up that was clearly going to be one sided. I dunno, maybe im just looking at it wrong :/Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Eisner
Takes me right back, couldn't believe what I was seeing; Royce is a legend for sure. I think one of the saddest things I saw (worse than Hughes beating him) was the Shamrock vs Gracie superfight (in UFC IV? Not too sure). Basically they were on the ground for a heck of a long time, and Shamrock hadn't done any damage at all - or even looked to do any as far as I remember. Then it got stood up, I think because they ran out of time but didn't want to end on a draw. I remember Royce looking confused; was the fight over? What was going on?
Next thing, Shamrock lands a big shot on Royce and busts his eye up, but still doesn't drop him/finish him. It was called a draw and all of a sudden Shamrock and his entourage were celebrating like crazy as if he'd won. Just made my heart sink really, Shamrock hadn't really proved anything, the only big damage he did was because the rules had been changed there and then, to help him get the upper hand, and that was the last time we saw a prime Royce Gracie in the UFC.
After that (or in and around the same time) the UFC got really freak-show-esque...............John Hess anyone? :cool:
Thank you Royce. Not just for the UFC but more for getting all of us addicted to jiu jitsu!!!
great vid thx
Kinda finished him with BJJQuote:
Originally Posted by Dustin Lou
Wouldnt you celebrate survining Royce for that long ? :P I know I wouldQuote:
Originally Posted by MikeSnowdon
By throwing awkward farm boy punches to the back of his head until the ref stopped it?Quote:
Originally Posted by nabbflax
so his grappling up to that point is pure wresling ?
Matt Hughes is a ridiculously good grappler, as amazing as Royce is, I dont think it was a match of opposite styles as much as legend/veteran vs. genetic mutation and ADCC quality grappler Matt Hughes. Remember, Royce's whole mission was to show that submissions are a viable way to finish a fight.
Matt Hughes has always had BJJ as part of the H.I.T. squad, so its not like its all that big a deal that a athlete and champion groundfighter could get the ups on a older, skinnier grappler. Even Helio Gracie was vocal about how Jitz has limits to the technique and everyone has someone that they cant quite beat. Helio's was Kimura, Royce's was Matt Hughes, an impressive limit.
I don't think Royce is as good of a grappler as everyone thinks he is.
When UFC first came around, yeah, he was killing it.
But the game has evolved so much now that he is out of the flow.
I still give him credit though, I probably wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for him.
Royce is a badass grappler, I rolled with him and he treated me like a little girl, he is super flexible and damn strong. Plus who else has the massive balls to step into a NHB fight with monsters like Severn? He is probably out of his prime but him and his family's mastery is nothing to be overlooked. Nowadays we have all of these championships which showcase grapplers who could probably give him a run for his money in his prime (MG vs 25 year old Royce?) but you still cant say he is less than a BJJ master.
Royce was way ahead of his time and helped usher in the BJJ craze that inevitably got me interested in grappling. I wanted to see if there was anyone out there respected in the BJJ world who has commented on Royce's level of BJJ and I found this excerpt from a Marc Laimon Interview...
MMAyou.com: How would you rate Royce’s BJJ and MMA skills?
Laimon: It’s pretty poor. It’s actually sh** if you want to not mince words, it’s pretty awful. Matt Hughes SMASHED him on the ground. Took him down, passed his guard, took his back and mounted him. I think Royce is maybe like a good blue belt, maybe a purple belt. I don’t think he’s very good at Jiu Jitsu at all. He happened to be doing it at a time when the level was so low, having Jiu Jitsu was like having a weapon. It was like having a gun or a knife in a fight. People don’t know what’s going on, they didn’t know what to do, they get caught in stuff. Once people started to study the game, video tape doesn’t lie, once you start studying footage, and understanding the principles and concepts of Jiu Jitsu, you realize it’s nothing magic. It’s just you gotta know where to put your arms and what to do.
You see Matt Hughes a guy from the Midwest, who’s a wrestler, basically made Royce look like a white belt. I just think his level of Jiu Jitsu is very very low.
Has anyone else heard another BJJ black belt express this same opinion?
The question I always have about Royce is whether or not he has added new techniques to his game. Like 10 years ago Butterfly Guard wasn't that popular but today it is. I recall one of Helio sons, Relson Gracie stating on the Fightworks podcast that his students don't do the Butterfly Guard because is something that Helio didn't use. In the classic Gracie style it seems you passed the guard and went to mount. Today more people seem to ignore the mount and try for side control.
I wonder if Royce has moved on to new stuff, or if he just practices classic Gracie Jiu Jitsu. When I saw him doing the full splits in that Ultimate Gracie special, I couldn't help but think how good he'd be at stuff like Invisible Collar, Jailbreak, etc.