MMA News: Roger Gracie Fighting at ADCC Grappling Tournament

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu popularity exploded in 1993 when Royce Gracie shocked the martial arts world by defeating a series of larger, stronger opponents in the octagon.

Students flooded into BJJ academies to learn the exciting new style of fighting. Among them was Sheik Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the son of the leader of the United Arab Emirates. Attending college in San Diego, California, he began learning the art founded by the Gracie family and fell in love with it. After completing his studies, he returned home and imported BJJ to the UAE to found the Abu Dhabi Combat Club.

In 1998, he organized the first ADCC World Submission Wrestling Championships. By mixing the rules of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, freestyle wrestling, Japanese Judo and Russian Sambo, Sheik Tahnoon created a tournament where the best grappling styles could meet on neutral ground. It was the birth of an entirely new sport.

Since then, the ADCC competition has become the most prestigious submission event on Earth. Each year, the biggest names in grappling and MMA compete for enormous prizes and world-wide recognition.

Chief among them is Roger Gracie. The latest product of the Gracie family, Roger took two first-place finishes in the last event by submitting all eight of his opponents, an achievement never-before seen in the history of the competition.

Gracie has only lost once since 2003 and this weekend he will get a shot at revenge when he faces Jon Olav Einemo. A 6-foot-6 giant from Oslo, Norway, Einemo swept the competiton in ’03, defeating Gracie on his way to winning the under-99-kilogram division.

This year, the ADCC World Submission Wrestling Championships will be held May 5 and 6 in Trenton, New Jersey.

Source: sports.bodogbeat.com