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The Brazilian legend has never backed down from a challenge. He comes from a time when there were no weight classes. He's happily faced opponents that sometimes outweighed him by 25 pounds or more come fight time.
While the mentality of fighting anyone, anywhere, anytime, still goes for Gracie, he has a more realistic approach to his future with the UFC. Gracie will fight Matt Hughes at UFC 112 at 170 pounds, but admits that a move to lightweight after this fight is very possible.
"It's so easy," Gracie told MMAWeekly Radio about making 155 pounds. "Right now I'm 178, and I have to eat a lot so I don't drop even more weight.
"I can walk around at probably 170, 173, you know? So it's easy to make 155."
A teacher of the art of MMA, Gracie has friends and students littered throughout the UFC. From his black belts in Ricardo Almeida and Matt Serra, who both compete at 170 pounds to new students like Frankie Edgar who fight at lightweight, Gracie says he's happy to bounce wherever the UFC needs him.
"For sure, I can be the wildcard," said Gracie. "I can go from 155 to the heavyweights."
One particular challenge that comes up quite often with Gracie is a possible rematch with current lightweight champion B.J. Penn. The two battled in Hawaii several years ago at middleweight, and with both of them in the UFC now it's a fight that everyone is interested to see.
"The beauty of our sport, we have to live one day at a time," Gracie said. "Right now, I have a huge task, which is to face Matt Hughes. So I can't think about B.J. I can't think about Sakuraba. I have one ugly face in my head and that's Hughes, nobody else."
When the fight with Hughes is over on Saturday, Gracie will have a decision to make along with the UFC in regards to which weight class his next fight will take place in. No matter where he ends up, Gracie will provide a challenge to anyone that steps in the cage with him.
While the mentality of fighting anyone, anywhere, anytime, still goes for Gracie, he has a more realistic approach to his future with the UFC. Gracie will fight Matt Hughes at UFC 112 at 170 pounds, but admits that a move to lightweight after this fight is very possible.
"It's so easy," Gracie told MMAWeekly Radio about making 155 pounds. "Right now I'm 178, and I have to eat a lot so I don't drop even more weight.
"I can walk around at probably 170, 173, you know? So it's easy to make 155."
A teacher of the art of MMA, Gracie has friends and students littered throughout the UFC. From his black belts in Ricardo Almeida and Matt Serra, who both compete at 170 pounds to new students like Frankie Edgar who fight at lightweight, Gracie says he's happy to bounce wherever the UFC needs him.
"For sure, I can be the wildcard," said Gracie. "I can go from 155 to the heavyweights."
One particular challenge that comes up quite often with Gracie is a possible rematch with current lightweight champion B.J. Penn. The two battled in Hawaii several years ago at middleweight, and with both of them in the UFC now it's a fight that everyone is interested to see.
"The beauty of our sport, we have to live one day at a time," Gracie said. "Right now, I have a huge task, which is to face Matt Hughes. So I can't think about B.J. I can't think about Sakuraba. I have one ugly face in my head and that's Hughes, nobody else."
When the fight with Hughes is over on Saturday, Gracie will have a decision to make along with the UFC in regards to which weight class his next fight will take place in. No matter where he ends up, Gracie will provide a challenge to anyone that steps in the cage with him.
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