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from fightersonlymagazine.co.uk/
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23/06/11 - Gracie wants seven-figures for appearing at UFC 134
Royce Gracie has confirmed that he is looking for at least one million dollars to appear at UFC 134.
Gracie, who won three of the first four UFC tournaments and is one of the fathers of MMA, appeared on Brazilian show Sensei SporTV this week to renew his calls for a spot on the UFC Rio card.
“Matt Hughes in the Octagon in Rio would be ideal. He’s the one I’m after,” Gracie said, hungry for a rematch of their UFC 60 meeting which ended in a first-round TKO win for Hughes. “In that fight with him I’d gone overboard in training. Dad [Helio Gracie] told me ‘That’s a mistake.’”
After the loss Gracie faced some criticism for not having moved with the times and having the same kind of game he had in the very first UFC event, some twelve years previously.
“I’ve been doing Jiu-Jitsu for 44 years. I always kept my mind open to other styles but just to know what I may be up against. I’m not going to learn wrestling to try and take down Matt Hughes,” he said, before outlining his belief that it is better to be deep in one art than shallow in many.
“If I go and train MMA, what does that mean? Training MMA is [for] Kimbo Slice. Can he stand and bang with a boxer? No. Can he put up a good fight on the ground? No. He’s a tough guy, but he’s not good. MMA isn’t a martial art [in itself]. You have to have somewhere you come from, you have to know an art.”
As for his hopes of appearing at UFC 134, there has been no word from the promotion on whether he will be invited to fight, although it doesn’t appear likely as the card is filling up rapidly. Gracie wants a slot badly - but wants top dollar as well.
“Dana White knows what I’m worth; he knows what I bring to the table. Yes, my fight purse has seven digits!” he confirmed with a laugh.
from fightersonlymagazine.co.uk/
Back to News Index
23/06/11 - Gracie wants seven-figures for appearing at UFC 134
Royce Gracie has confirmed that he is looking for at least one million dollars to appear at UFC 134.
Gracie, who won three of the first four UFC tournaments and is one of the fathers of MMA, appeared on Brazilian show Sensei SporTV this week to renew his calls for a spot on the UFC Rio card.
“Matt Hughes in the Octagon in Rio would be ideal. He’s the one I’m after,” Gracie said, hungry for a rematch of their UFC 60 meeting which ended in a first-round TKO win for Hughes. “In that fight with him I’d gone overboard in training. Dad [Helio Gracie] told me ‘That’s a mistake.’”
After the loss Gracie faced some criticism for not having moved with the times and having the same kind of game he had in the very first UFC event, some twelve years previously.
“I’ve been doing Jiu-Jitsu for 44 years. I always kept my mind open to other styles but just to know what I may be up against. I’m not going to learn wrestling to try and take down Matt Hughes,” he said, before outlining his belief that it is better to be deep in one art than shallow in many.
“If I go and train MMA, what does that mean? Training MMA is [for] Kimbo Slice. Can he stand and bang with a boxer? No. Can he put up a good fight on the ground? No. He’s a tough guy, but he’s not good. MMA isn’t a martial art [in itself]. You have to have somewhere you come from, you have to know an art.”
As for his hopes of appearing at UFC 134, there has been no word from the promotion on whether he will be invited to fight, although it doesn’t appear likely as the card is filling up rapidly. Gracie wants a slot badly - but wants top dollar as well.
“Dana White knows what I’m worth; he knows what I bring to the table. Yes, my fight purse has seven digits!” he confirmed with a laugh.
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