Roger Gracie was very worried going into a super fight with an arch-rival.
On September 11, the jiu-jitsu legend released his new book, ‘The Warrior Mindset: The Tao of a Champion’.
The memoir has given the Brazilian an opportunity to recount some of his craziest memories, with Gracie reminiscing over breaking Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza’s arm, as well as reflecting on winning ten world titles.
In addition, the sportsman opened up about his nerves heading into the defining night of his career.
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Roger Gracie was worried people would think Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida was better than him
On July 23, 2017, Roger Gracie submitted Marcus ‘Bucheca’ Almeida via collar choke in front of a raucous crowd inside The Olympic arena Carioca 1.
The victory was a huge relief for the icon, who was very worried heading into the contest.
In an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow, Gracie said: “It was a massive challenge because when I fought Bucheca, I had stopped competing in jiu-jitsu for quite a few years.
“There was a possibility that people would consider him better than me. He matched my world championships and we had a fight before that was a draw, and I wasn’t in a good state when I had that fight.
“I was getting towards the end of my career and there was a lot of talk that, ‘Bucheca is better than Roger’. For me, I couldn’t accept that.
“Coming out of retirement and fighting someone nine years younger than you, 16kilos heavier, it’s not easy.
“If I’d have lost that fight, I’d have been forever considered number two.
“Everything I built over the years—my legacy and everything I believed—I put on the line in one fight.
“All the odds were against me. It was the first time since my early twenties that I had a fight as the underdog.
“So, that was probably one of the biggest challenges I had — mentally getting to that fight.”
Roger Gracie reveals who he thinks has the best jiu-jitsu in UFC history outside of his family
In addition to Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Roger Gracie had a successful MMA career, winning the ONE Championship light heavyweight belt.
However, he’s not the only iconic grappler to make the transition to the cage.
During his interview with Bloody Elbow, Gracie said who had the best BJJ in UFC history outside of his family.
The Warrior Mindset: The Tao of a Champion by Roger Gracie was published on 11th September (Blink Publishing, £22), with a foreword by Tom Hardy.