BodogFight Gives You Roger Gracie

Roger Gracie of the famed Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Gracie family makes his mixed martial arts (MMA) debut against ex-WWE superstar Ron Waterman at BodogFight’s spectacular pay-per-view event at Vancouver’s PNE Agrodome on Saturday, December 2. This headline Superfight will stamp Vancouver as an elite MMA destination city alongside Tokyo and Las Vegas.

“Bringing Roger Gracie and his family’s tradition to Vancouver marks a new era in sports entertainment,” says Bodog.com Entertainment Founder Calvin Ayre, whose company recently announced plans for international expansion into the European and Asian markets. “MMA is one of the world’s fastest growing spectator sports and BodogFight is holding its promise to deliver fans incredible match-ups.”

Roger Gracie is a highly decorated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner and son of Reyla Gracie, the daughter of Carlos Gracie and Mauricio Motta Gomes. Carlos Gracie was co-founder of the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) discipline and Mauricio Motta Gomes holds a seventh degree BJJ black belt and is one of the sport’s foremost authorities. With such pedigree, it’s easy to understand why this debut carries such significance in the MMA world. The Gracie fighting heritage, which spans five generations, has fallen from the top ranks of the fighting world because the spotlight has been seized by a succession of American wrestlers and hybridized MMA competitors. However, 24-year-old phenom Roger is the great hope for the Gracie family to reclaim prominence in the sport in the 21st century.

Gracie isn’t shy about his chances Saturday, proclaiming in a recently published Bodog Nation article that he will submit Waterman, a 13-year veteran in the sport. “I know my physical conditioning is better than his, so it’ll be in the first or second round, maximum,” Gracie predicted, sparking a war of words. To read the full article, visit the popular online magazine Bodog Nation.

BodogFight: Season I culminates Saturday with a spectacular fight card featuring the eight Team USA vs. Russia matches, three incredible Superfights headlined by Gracie’s MMA debut and two undercard bouts guaranteed to provide heavy-handed stand-up action. For ticket and PPV ordering information go to http://www.bodogfight.com/ppv/.

With the PPV date closing in, fight fans are already anticipating BodogFight: St. Petersburg, scheduled for filming through December in St. Petersburg, Russia, which will be topped off with BodogFight's second live pay-per-view event in March. Biographies of all fighters, exclusive footage, and unedited interviews from the St. Petersburg filming will soon be available at BodogFight’s official website, with additions added to “The Latest” section as MMA news happens. Each second season episode will air simultaneously on the BodogFight.com broadband network and in over 43 million homes across the United States on DISH network and Men’s Outdoor and Recreation.