Part 2 of 2 – Ralek Gracie Interview – Special thanks to Kenny Jewel for his work on this.. Great Job!
The 24-year-old Ralek Gracie, son of Rorion and a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt (and a nephew of Royce), came pro in 2007 and submitted Katsuyori Shibata. In mid-2008, he submitted Alavutdin Gadzhiyev at DREAM.4. His bout with Sakuraba will be his first in nearly two years. Ralek’s interview is insightful and he looks ready.
“The Gracie Hunter,” MMA superstar Kazushi Sakuraba (26-11-1 MMA, 3-2 DREAM), looks to go 5-0 against MMA’s famous family when he meets Ralek Gracie (2-0 MMA, 1-0 DREAM) in a 195-pound catchweight bout. The 40-year-old Sakuraba has recent submission wins over boxer Rubin Williams and Zelg Galesic.
Sakuraba, from the early UFC days and a longtime veteran of PRIDE has already defeated the likes of Ryan (PRIDE 12), Renzo (PRIDE 10), Royce (PRIDE Grand Prix 2000 Finals) and Royler (PRIDE 8). He had dropped a unanimous decision to Royce in a rematch at a HERO’S/FEG and EliteXC “Dynamite!! USA” event in Los Angeles, and the fight was changed to a no-contest when Royce failed a post-fight drug test due to an anabolic steroid.
