Neiman Gracie has a major title bout on the horizon and his manager has a ton of confidence in the undefeated welterweight.
Gracie is set to challenge Rory MacDonald for the Bellator welterweight title on June 14. The championship scrap will serve as Bellator 222‘s co-main event. This will also be a semifinal bout in the Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix.
Gracie Gets Praise From Ali Abdelaziz
Gracie’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, appeared on MMA Junkie Radio. Abdelaziz said he’s expecting his fighter to stop MacDonald:
“Believe me, Neiman Gracie is going to finish Rory MacDonald. Rory questioned himself, and I don’t like that as a fan because I respect him, but we are fighting the world champion, one of the greatest welterweights of all time. We’re not fighting the broken Rory MacDonald. We’re not buying it.”
Abdelaziz went on to give Neiman perhaps the ultimate praise:
“Neiman Gracie might be one of the best Gracies we’ve ever seen. He’s a 4.0 Gracie. He’s not just going to try to pull guard and submit you. He’s going to take you down. He’s going to strike with you. He’s going to kick with you. You don’t see this Gracie anymore – they’re going to come and pull guard. No. It’s a different era.”
Bellator 222 will be held inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. In the main event, Chael Sonnen will share the cage with Lyoto Machida. A bantamweight title bout between champion Darrion Caldwell and Kyoji Horiguchi will take place on the main card.
