True, but thing is he has been around fighting. He has spent his life fighting. It is true that things are different to a degree, but clearly not so much he couldn't compete.
Funny thing is people speak against him about his matches against Pro Wrestlers, but for Christ sakes, what else do the Japanese fighters produce? A judo guy here and there, a shooto guy in the mix ... but many fighters are pro wrestlers. Saku is a pro wrestler and he is thought of as one of the best fighters in the world.
The last fight Rickson was in proved a lot to the world, but there are so many Gracie haters they don't see that. Funaki was a tuff opponent with a lot of ring experience. The guy has had well over 40 fights and has beaten some big name stars.
To name a few:
Ken Shamrock
Frank Shamrock
Bas Rutten
Vernon White
Semmy Schilt
Guy Mezger
In that fight Rickson took a solid punch to the eye that actually broke his orbital lobe and still he continued to fight and defeated Funaki. It's just amusing that Funaki is thought so lowly of because he holds the title of Pro Wrestler... But like said before, there are so many Japanese fighters out there with that title.
As far as I see it, Rickson can say as he pleases. He is an old man now and has done more than his share of fighting in his time. The world is too full of egos to let him make his claims without backing them up. It's now a different era, and people need to see his abilities once again. But he did that before our time as an audience.
Rickson is a different man now after the loss of his son. All of us would be. The conflicting nature of loving father and a warrior. It seems both are pulling at him. The need to do battle, and the pain caused from losing your son. His warrior spirit is still burning inside ... that is all too clear. But I am afraid he still held back from the pains of his loss.
Rickson has gained a lot in his life. He has proven more than any one of us will ever be able to. Granted, none of us talk about how great we are, but again none of us are a legend like he is. He is old now, and the fact alone that he is even thinking of fighting in this day and age is enough to respect -- for some of us at least.
Perhaps we will never see him fight again, and these questions and taunts (if you will) will never be addressed ... but there is still proof of his greatness from his past. And, like so many things, there are what if factors that can be played out.
Royce and Renzo have fought many different people in the world of MMA. Sometimes they win, some time they lose. Thing is, win they lose, they don't just roll over and get beaten down. However, every single family member (even Carlson who some could say despises Helio's children) in the Gracie clan (extended version and all) say that Rickson can handle them. He beats them like they would beat any of us. These words are not an exaggeration either. They are words from the family. So, one can only guess that Rickson is defiantly not all talk. There is something special in the man...
Than again, who knows, ne?
Maybe it's not his ego that is so big but it's pure refined self confidence...
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"A deer admires a lion. But all the members of our family are lions. So it doesn't matter which lion I admire. "
-Rener Gracie-
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