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Originally Posted by Rise  Just curious why he is on your list ? |
It is my genuine belief that Rickson Gracie was the greatest fighter of the early years of MMA by a country mile and was simply born far too soon. That said, I believe he's truly the baddest motherfucker on the planet.
I also think that had Rorian not wanted to emphasize and market/sell the "Gracie Jiu Jitsu" style in the US during the first UFCs where the little guy beat the big guy via their techniques, none of us would know who Royce is, as Rickson was the superior fighter, but would've been too good to truly highlight BJJ as the Gracies wanted to. Rickson would've guzzled fighters in the early era of UFC and while he physically looked superior than the somewhat frail looking Royce(which in turn, such perception made his victories all the more impressive), it wouldn't have made the same impact on the sport. Despite his lack of UFC exposure, his victories within the early years of MMA are still incredibly impressive.
The Yoji Anjo and Hugo Duarte stories are amazing(just to add to his badass-dom), the Choke documentary is cool as hell, his legendary fights against Zulu and Vale Tudo wars are incredible, he's a Redbelt in BJJ and his wins over Takada gave birth to PRIDE. Pound for Pound, I really don't think there is anyone more skilled and genuinely dangerous than Rickson. I believe he's the greatest Gracie and while there is alot of "myth" surrounding their legacy that one has to take with a grain of salt, I buy into Rickson more than I do any other Gracie.
I'm a huge Rickson mark, but I don't think anybody could beat him in his prime.