Roger Gracie to Fight at Strikeforce

Roger Gracie (2-0 MMA) will make his first appearance for Strikeforce at their event August 15th, presumably on the main card. The event will be headlined by a combination of the Gina Carano (7-0 MMA) vs. Christiane Santos (7-1 MMA) 145 pound women’s title fight and the Josh Thomson (16-2, #8 IWMMAR) vs. Gilbert Melendez (15-2 MMA) 155 pound title fight.

Roger, while not a “Gracie” by patriarchal decent, is a blackbelt under the legendary Carlos Gracie Jr., is the son of Reyla Gracie (a daughter of the great Carlos Gracie, Sr.) and Mauricio Motta Gomes. Gomes was one of six blackbelts promoted by legendary instructor Rolls Gracie (Roger’s uncle), before his untimely death at the age of 31.

Since taking his place in the Gracie Barra lineage (it is necessary, as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter, to a differentiation between the Gracie Barra line and the Gracie Humaita line), Roger has won a record eight world championships in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and two ADCC titles for no-gi grappling (not to mention various medals from the prestigious no-gi tournament). Roger is widely considered one of the top grapplers in the world today and certainly the best grappler among the heavyweights in MMA. His only real competition in the world of grappling is his archrival, in a competitive, non-dramatic sense, Xande Ribeiro (2-0 MMA) , but Xande competes as a lightheavyweight in MMA.

It’s hard to dispute that Roger is going to be a force in the heavyweight division in Strikeforce, especially upon the observation that there really are no grapplers in the Strikeforce heavyweight division at this point. Of course, the addition of Josh Barnett (24-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC, #3 IWMMAR) or Fedor Emelianenko (30-1 MMA, #1 IWMMAR) would certainly present a fighter who could challenge Roger’s grappling in full contact, but the technical edge in pure grappling, regardless of the heavyweight, belongs to Roger.

Certainly, against a fighter like Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem (29-11-0-1 MMA, #7 IWMMAR) or contender Brett Rogers (10-0 MMA, #9 IWMMAR) would test Roger’s standup, but it would largely be a test of Roger’s ability to force the fight to the ground, and as soon as that bout hit the mat, even with Roger fighting off of his back, it’s hard not to assert that the Brazilian could lock up a tight submission and take home the W.

Any way you slice it, the addition of Gracie to the ever improving Strikeforce roster is certainly one that carries a good deal of weight. Whether or not he has fully established his credibility in MMA, this is a fighter that has an edge on the mat against anyone he steps in the cage with, and that potential for victory via tapout (as well as the potential to prove himself on the feet) makes him a force worth respecting.

While his opponent at the upcoming Strikeforce event is not yet clear (rumors of a potential Overeem vs. Rogers title fight have muddied potential discussion of a fight between Rogers and Gracie in the wake of Overeem’s recovery from a broken hand), it should be obvious what Roger’s gameplan will be, and it will be exciting to watch the warrior with the experience and the technical ability execute.