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I was just reading this for the first time and was thinking how did the Gracies expect Gene LeBell to drop down to 140 lbs?...he was already 200 lbs and 60 yrs old? Also, does anyone know any further in-depth details about the Gracies backing out of the Benny challenge fight?
the gracies have a history of "stacking the deck" by either last minute changes to rules or ridiculous rules all together.
i believe the benny match was never actually agreed to and was more some students giving the old "my teacher can beat your teacher" type argument.
gene saw the gracies challenge from rickson (30ish i believe) vs gene (60) as silly. he wanted to fight the frail old, really barely capable helio. helio gracie at 80 yrs old was a shell. still in great shape and capable of demonstrating technique/teaching was not getting into a real fight. by dropping to 140, gene would still hold a 20+/- lb weight advantage but the gracies knew the whole thing was impossible and silly, so did gene so they both blew it out of proportion. the gracies come away with "gene lebell declined our challenge so we win" as usual.
i am not a fan of most of the gracies, and their propaganda. i appreciate and love gracie/brazilian jiu jitsu but not a fan of the bulk of the helio line. the carlos and others line are much more eralistic and do not claim the whole "helio gracie INVENTED" a new form.
the gracie challenge actually stated with carlos offering a challenge to the world heavyweight boxing champion and not a challenge to all arts. this challenge is to this day is open to any boxing champion.
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3 champions now that are Brazilian. It started with Gracie, but the fighters now are well rounded. Why is it Brazil has good MMA fighters? It looks like they are good in soccer and MMA.
A Brazilian MMA fighter (I don't recall which one) was asked that once, and he said that Brazil just had a longer history of MMA-type fighting than most other countries, so that gave them an edge. But also said he didn't expect that edge to last long. As MMA spread, he expected great fighters to come from a lot more different countries.
There are several key factors that explain the Brazilian dominance in MMA. First of all, there's been no-holds-barred competition in Brazil for a long time - long before the UFC even came on the scene. There's actually been an MMA/NHB scene in other countries as well, such as Japan and Russia. But the second important factor is that the Asian fighters are typically not as strong and athletic as the Brazilians, who are physically larger on average, due to being multiracial (I know that's a potentially sensitive topic, but I think it's the truth). A third factor is that Brazil's a large country, with a culture that encourages athleticism and male strength, so there's a fighting culture there. Again, not saying that Brazilians are violent, but that there's just a culture of hand-to-hand combat competition. I think all three of those things come together and explain why the Brazilians are so good at MMA...and will be for a long time.
Also, consider that if you're an up and coming MMA guy in the top Brazilian camps, you're going to train against/with the world's best. It's a cycle that repeats itself. New fighters train with established fighters and really develop all-around skill.
the thing is, I don't know that Brazilians necessarily "dominate" MMA. take the UFC as the most obvious example:
HW Champ: American
LHW Champ: American
MW Champ: American (may very well get beat by long time MW Champ who is Brazilian)
WW Champ: Canadian (and c'mon - he lost that last fight to an American who should be champ)
LW Champ: American
lets call it 145 lb Champ: Brazilian
135 lb Champ: ??? which one is Mighty Mouse (American) 135 or 125
125 lb Champ: ??? which one is Mighty Mouse (American) 135 or 125
and furthermore, outside of the championship situation, its not as if anyone who is current in the sport will favor a fighter's odds based on nationality (Brazilian or otherwise) if anything, in the past I would bet (not root, but bet) against an Asian fighter because they have at times appeared overly emotional and not that good at sticking to a game plan. this no longer really appears to be the case with the Asian fighters at the UFC level of competition.
when you have a Brazilian fighter, it is likely that he has a background in Brazilian Jujitsu. but BJJ is not the be all to end all in MMA. Wrestling and striking play into just as much, and often times more so. strong wrestlers dominate BJJ black belts ALL THE TIME in MMA. however, as popular as BJJ and MMA are in Brazil, on average against the rest of the world Brazil ranks high. but are we living in a time of Brazilian dominance in MMA. I say no.
the thing is, I don't know that Brazilians necessarily "dominate" MMA. take the UFC as the most obvious example:
HW Champ: American
LHW Champ: American
MW Champ: American (may very well get beat by long time MW Champ who is Brazilian)
WW Champ: Canadian (and c'mon - he lost that last fight to an American who should be champ)
LW Champ: American
lets call it 145 lb Champ: Brazilian
135 lb Champ: ??? which one is Mighty Mouse (American) 135 or 125
125 lb Champ: ??? which one is Mighty Mouse (American) 135 or 125
and furthermore, outside of the championship situation, its not as if anyone who is current in the sport will favor a fighter's odds based on nationality (Brazilian or otherwise) if anything, in the past I would bet (not root, but bet) against an Asian fighter because they have at times appeared overly emotional and not that good at sticking to a game plan. this no longer really appears to be the case with the Asian fighters at the UFC level of competition.
when you have a Brazilian fighter, it is likely that he has a background in Brazilian Jujitsu. but BJJ is not the be all to end all in MMA. Wrestling and striking play into just as much, and often times more so. strong wrestlers dominate BJJ black belts ALL THE TIME in MMA. however, as popular as BJJ and MMA are in Brazil, on average against the rest of the world Brazil ranks high. but are we living in a time of Brazilian dominance in MMA. I say no.
Right now the UFC 135 interim champ is from Brazil (Barao). Anyway it seems like Russia is becoming the new Brazil (if that makes any sense), at least if you follow Bellator. Imo another country to keep an eye on (if mma becomes popular there) is Mexico.
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