The UFC was started way back in 1993 in order to introduce the general public to jiu-jitsu by Rorion Gracie. The lack of rules and time limits ultimately became an issue and Rorion decided to sell his share to Bob Meyrowitz after UFC 4 when Royce Gracie vs Dan Severn ran so long the fans couldn’t watch the ending live causing one of the biggest gaffes in pay-per-view.
Rickson: Modern BJJ Black Belts Remind Me of Karate Practitioners Clueless of Jiu-Jitsu
But the question on the minds of many fans – of jiu-jitsu especially is how come Rickson hadn’t fought in the octagon and opted for Japanese promotions instead.
Recently he talked about it with Matt Serra and Renzo Gracie on the Unfiltered podcast:
“Royce was easy to manage. 2nd thing is, he told me I was the champion I was to be on the shelf waiting for something really challenging. Let Royce back at the begining of his career and get a chance for him to do something and maybe if he gets lost or something. If he lost I get pulled in.”
