In many ways UFC Matchmaker is among the most important positions in the UFC. Last night marked a momentous occasion for the current UFC Matchmaker Mick Maynard – he received his jiu jitsu black belt after 15 years!
“It’s been about 15 years, and I always said to myself, ‘You’re a kickboxer. It doesn’t matter that it took you five years longer than average,’” Maynard joked at the ceremony earlier today at Renzo Gracie Academy in New York. “I’ve always liked jiu-jitsu a lot, and I just really maintained so that I wouldn’t get tapped out all the time, and then as the years went on – and more importantly since becoming a member of Master Renzo’s association, Renzo Gracie Academy – the like and the love has become a passion, so it’s almost unusual in a sense that I’m getting my black belt now, because I love it. All of my family does it, and it’s changed my entire life.” – Maynard told MMAJunkie
“Perseverance pays off,” Gracie told MMAjunkie. “Eight years as a brown belt, and today he kicked my ass. A well-deserved black belt – welcome to a very select family.”
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