ONE: Reign of Kings press conference. Photo from ONE Championship
It’s been almost a decade since the legendary Renzo Gracie fought inside a ring or a cage, but the Brazilian icon remains inspired as ever as he ends his hiatu against Yuki Kondo on Friday in the ONE: Reign of Kings card at Mall of Asia Arena.
Gracie, a member of the famed Gracie family that developed Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and introduced it to the world, said he’s eager to come back to fighting.
“To be able to come back after all these years and do this again, it seems surreal to me,” said the 51-year-old Gracie. “For me, I’ve always been talking about life and following your passion.”
“Mixed martial arts and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu are avenues for me to exemplify desire, diligence, discipline, dedication, character, integrity, and pride for my culture.”
Gracie, 13-7, last fought in UFC 112 and lost against Matt Hughes via technical knockout 4:40 into the third round.
Apart from fighting, Gracie is also a decorated teacher having taught the likes of Georges St. Pierre, Frankie Edgar, Matt Serra, and Chris Weidman.
“The only thing that I know is that I’ll be a better man, I’ll be a better teacher, and I’ll be a better person in the sense of passing forward everything that I learn in there.”
Gracie added that his fighting career is far from over.
“I believe I’m going to fight more, I’m going to impress people with this fight, and they’re going to want me to fight more, so I will do it. This is not a farewell fight.”