Rickson Gracie has recently published his new book, Comfort in the Darkness, which chronicles his personal battle with Parkinson’s disease.

And, while the book provides an intimate look at Gracie’s struggles, it’s his outspoken views on controversial topics – including transgender athletes in sports – that have already garnered significant attention.

Rickson emphasizes the importance of fairness and safety in contact sports like Jiu-Jitsu and MMA:

I respect anyone’s decision to live their life as a transgender person.
I accept whatever anyone considers their gender identity to be, but draw the line at men competing against women in Jiu-Jitsu and MMA.

Especially when there are risks to physical injury due to marked differences in strength.

He has a simple solution to the dilemma of whom-should-be-fighting-whom:

While transgender women (women born as biological males) have been very successful in female sports, transgender men (men born as biological females) have not succeeded in male sports.

Not one transgender man has competed successfully against men in Jiu-Jitsu, MMA, or any other sport that I know of.

There is a simple solution to this dilemma: create a separate category.

Rickson also criticized the normalization of obesity and unhealthy lifestyles, particularly in American culture, as contributing to significant global health issues:

I see the same magical thinking when it comes to the recent attempt to normalize obesity and act as if a person’s diet and lifestyle have nothing to do with it.

Today, the US military cannot reach its recruiting goals because so many young Americans are overweight and ineligible as a result.

Food is fuel that keeps us alive, and that fuel must be burned.
If you eat 4,000 calories a day, work long hours sitting at a desk, then go home and stare at a screen, this is a recipe for obesity and bad health.

People all over the world are suffering from diabetes and heart disease in record numbers.
Obesity is now a bigger world health problem than hunger.