Rorion Gracie är en av de ursprungliga UFC-grundarna. Nu när organisationen har sålts kommenterar han försäljningen och ser tillbaka på UFCs historia.
UFC har sålts till nya ägare, för 34 miljarder kronor. Rorion Gracie var med och startade upp organisationen för drygt 20 år sen. I en intervju med en intervju med MMA Fighting påpekar han att bröderna Fertitta verkar ha fattat rätt beslut.
”They did the right thing. They enjoyed the ride for a long time, and made the decision to sell it. We have to respect their decision. If I were them, I may have done same thing.
They took my revolutionary concept for the UFC from a relatively small company, invested a lot of money, created this huge marketing wave around it, and are now collecting the benefits of a $4 billion sale. The feeling I have is that I had a son, and they adopted it, sent him to study at Harvard, and now my son controls Wall Street. It’s great to have an idea, and see it come to fruition.”
När Gracie & CO startade UFC ville han visa upp sin familjs kampstil – brasiliansk jiu-jitsu.
”When I came to the U.S. in 1978, my dream was to share the incredible benefits of our jiu-jitsu. My intention was develop a venue to compare the different styles of martial arts, so that a larger audience could see which was the most effective form of combat.
Jiu-jitsu proved, beyond any doubt, to be the best. My dream had become reality.”
Gracie drog sig ur UFC-ägarskapet efter UFC 4, där huvudmatchen pågick så länge att fansen inte kunde se slutet live. Därefter började man att bygga ett mer ordentligt regelverk.
”After the issues with UFC 4, my associates decided to implement time limit, rules, and weight classes, to plan the event for the TV. I understood that. Yet, I always saw the UFC as a real fight being televised, and they saw it as a TV show about fighting.
I wasn’t interested in being part of the show if they modified the original concept of comparing styles, it became a comparison of athletes. The winner was no longer necessarily the better style, but often by judges outside. It was no longer the vision I had, so I do not regret walking away.”
Foto: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
