MMA legend Renzo Gracie raring to make comeback in ONE card
MANILA, Philippines — Despite having nothing more to prove, Renzo Gracie is brimming with excitement and confidence in his upcoming fight.
The legendary Gracie, eight years removed from his last fight, will mount a comeback in the mixed martial scene through ONE Championship’s “Reign of Kings” showpiece at the Mall of Asia Arena this Friday.
And at the same time, the sixth-degree black belter is out to walk the talk that he did not retire at all.
“I never retired! No!” he vehemently corrected a reporter during the card’s presser on Tuesday at City of Dreams Manila. “That word actually gives me goosebumps.”
“I actually stopped,” he added. “I was so busy. I have many schools — 67 — all over the word. I was making jiu jitsu grow. I was (even) helping Abu Dhabi set-up a program for their thousands of practitioners.”
“I wasn’t sitting, watching television, and eating chocolate, you know. I was working towards jiu jitsu,” he explained.
Gracie will be taking on an equally illustrious fighter in Yuki Kondo in a welterweight clash.
Both fighters carved out striking resumes en route to leaving an indelible mark on the sport. Gracie had become one of the most recognizable faces of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, while Yuki worked his up to become one of Pancrase’s most celebrated athletes.
The Japanese, for his part, would be enjoying sharpness as his last fight was just in December of last year.
But the outspoken Gracie, ever the competitor, would point out that he has never felt better.
“I honestly believe I’m in my best right now. Mentally, the way that I prepared was very smart. I was complete injury free. And I’m feeling like a check of million dollars that didn’t bounce, you know?” he said.
That said, Gracie was quick to quash the idea that his return to the cage was simply because of the hefty financial bonus that came with it.
“That’s not the reason I’m here. I’m here cause I love fighting,” he said. “I love to represent my family and I love jiu jitsu.”
“And I think good representation of jiu jitsu is through fighting — to show the art,” he closed.
The undercard for “Reign of Kings” gets going at 7 p.m.
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