Roger Gracie comes from one of the greatest fighting families of all time.
On September 11, the gifted athlete released his new book, ‘The Warrior Mindset: The Tao of a Champion’.
Unsurprisingly, there are details of his epic victories in jiu-jitsu, as well as the moment Gracie strangled Michal Pasternak unconscious in one of the scariest submissions in MMA history.
And of course, the Brazilian reflected on what it’s like to have such a famous surname.
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Roger Gracie says his family showed how to win fights from the bottom
From his legendary grandfather, Carlos Gracie, to his uncle, Royce Gracie, and his cousin Renzo Gracie, Roger Gracie is part of a truly incredible family.
Together, they have achieved so many spectacular things, with the 10x world champion opening up about the one element of combat sports that they have changed the most.
In an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow, he explained: “[In the book] I tried to put down what it means to be a Gracie, to be part of this family, over 100 years of fighters.
“My grandfather, he developed the art with his brothers and throughout the family. So, what does it mean to be the creator of a dynasty? This is what my grandfather was. He created a dynasty of fighters.
“There has never been a family like ours, ever. It’s generations of fighters dedicated to the art, competing and developing.
“Look at jiu-jitsu worldwide, it’s the biggest martial art in the world. We revolutionized martial arts.
“Just the idea to fight from the bottom. When you think about fighting, you want to be on top, dominating your opponent. The idea of winning from your back, that changed everything.”
Roger Gracie was terrified about one thing ahead of the biggest Brazilian jiu-jitsu match ever
In his career, Gracie had many huge contests.
However, one stood out from the pack.
In the build-up to the event, the grappler knew just how much was at stake.
Speaking candidly, Gracie admitted the one thing that really worried him.
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.