Nu när relationen mellan UFC och Bellator är frostigare än någonsin så framstår UFC-legenden Royce Gracies beslut att ta jobbet som ambassadör till Bellator som högst kontroversiellt. Enligt Royce själv, tog dock UFC:s VD Dana White beskedet bra och gav till och med MMA-pionjären tillåtelse att hjälpa Bellator växa.
I en intervju med ESPN Brazil berättar Royce Gracie om hur Dana White tog beskedet om att Bellator ville rekrytera Gracie som ambassadör till deras organisation: ”When Bellator called me, I called Dana White right after. He told me to do what I had to do. He said I should go ahead. Bellator needed someone to help promote their show all over the world. Since I am one of the most well-known guys in the sport, the one who created it and son of Helio Gracie, I’m not only helping to expand the brand, but I have also been talking to the fighters. I have been teaching them that what they do outside of the cage also affects their careers”, uttalar Royce Gracie.
Royce berättar även vilka fighters han föredrar att se tävla. ”I like guys who know how to implement a strategy. The ones who make a fight look easy. But there’s no easy fight, even if you win in 30 seconds, that only means you were able to execute your strategy correctly and induced your opponent to make a mistake. Those are the champions. That’s why they are the champions”. På frågan om han har intresse av att tävla igen säger han så här: ”It hasn’t crossed my mind, but I wouldn’t say no. But I wouldn’t do a single thing differently throughout my career, if I could go back. Even the results, I wouldn’t change a thing”. Det ska bli intressant att se vilket utrymme Royce Gracie får i sin nya roll hos Bellator.
