Renzo Gracie had made his mma debut in 1992 and he even unretired recently. Renzo’s record stands at 14:7 with notable losses to Matt Hughes, BJ Penn and Kuzushi Sakuraba (who he will likely be rematching at ONE FC).
Now one of the great analysts of our time Lawrence Kenshin did a video on a particularly legendary fight that may have altered the course of both mma and bjj.
The fight in question is Renzo Gracie vs Oleg the “Russian Bear” Taktarov – and it took place in the distant November 1996. Worth noting is that Gracie went into the event with a 25 lbs difference.
If you are learning BJJ, one of the most important principles is being able to defend yourself in a real fight. Many BJJ practitioners will lean in to control the ankle, even today. But without the restriction of strikes, the up kick is a deadly fight ender. In this match, UFC 6 tournament champion, Oleg the “Russian Bear” Taktarov squares off against the legendary Renzo Gracie. With a 25 pound weight disadvantage, Renzo landed a beautiful up kick that would change how fighters in MMA engage the ground fight.
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