Archived Jiu-Jitsu interview: Rickson and Hugo-

[Martial Artist]

This interview is with Hugo BTW.

Q. How did Lutre Livre get the reputation of being Jiu-Jitsu's arch enemy?
A. In the eraly 80's there was a guy in Brazil by the name of Flavio Molina who was a Muay Thai teacher. A student of Flavio beat a younger Jiu-Jitsu student. So the Gracie guys invaded the Flavio Molina Muay Thai Academy and beat up six teenage students who were happening to be taking a class-just unlucky guys who were not even top fighters or anything. In order to calm both sides and avoid a lot of street fights, myself and the Gracies set up a match between Flavio and Marcello Behring who was then the number two Jiu-Jitsu fighter next to Rickson, and a Rickson Jiu-Jitsu black belt. It was in the biggest soccer stadium in Brazil, in their indoor stadium called Little Maragaho. Flavio Molina was a Muay Thai guy. But he was friends with all the Lutre Livre guys even though he didn't train with them. So to avoid getting beat up on the ground he asked Lutre Livre to train him and to also fight. So they taught him to fight on the ground and then he fought on the show. Eugenio Tadeau fought Jiu-Jitsu black belt Renan Pitangyi, the son of the most famous plastic surgeon in the world, Ivo Pitangyi, Marco Ruas fought Carlson Gracie's number one student Pinduca, and Marcello Bering fought Flavio Molina. In the end Eugenio won, Marco had a draw, and Flavio lost. So in the end it was even and it proved to the people on the streets that Lutre Livre was the equal of jiu-jitsu. For Jiu-Jitsu it was the day the earth stood still.

Q. In Gracie Jiu-Jitsu in Action II there is a fight on the beach where Rickson Gracie fights a man whose face has been blocked out. Is that you?

A. Yes.

Q. Did you ask for your face to be blocked out?

A. My face was blocked out by Rorion Gracie because he did not want to give me or Lutre Livre any credit or publicity.


Q. What happened in thta fight?

A. I had not planned on fighting and there was no warning that a fight was to take place. I was just having fun at the beach when 2000 Jiu-Jitsu guys showed up in a giant gang witha a video camrea. Of course, we had a rivalry but I never expected anything like this. I did not have any of my students around but just a handful of friends to thier thousands. So Rickson just came up and slapped me and said,"Are you ready?" I replied, "I'm always ready." ANd then we started to fight. The tape only shows the begining and the end of the fight when Rickson had the superior position and forced me to tap. But there is a lot the tape does not show. For example, it does not show that I took Rickson down and mounted him. It also does not show that when I was mounted, one of Rickson's students came up behind me and pushed me off of him. Some other of his students threw sand in my eyes so I could not see. If those things had not happened thn the outcome might have been different.

A week later I went to his school wiht a bunch of my sudents to return the favor and fight again. Even though I did not beat him, what matters most to me was that my students went with me and were not intimidated. We had the courage to go up against Jiu-Jitsu and show that we would not get pushed around. Sometimes it does not matter if you beat the bully but only that you stand up to him. So I was proud in defeat.



Q. Would you like to fight Rickson Gracie again?

A. I've never chosen opponets and have fought all the tough guys out there, not just Rickson. My things with Rickson happened in the past and we fought then. But after I went to Japan for the first time I challenged him two or three times in a very professional way, with nothing personal-no hate, anger, or anything like that. But he chose not to fight me. He is in a position of influence as far as choosing his opponents because he is so popular. If it was up to me I would love to fight him again. I think we owe it to each other.

Q. Do you think Rickson is overrated?

A. I belive that Rickson's technique is an unquestionable matter. I have fought against him and I have fought against many of the people who say they are better than him and I can tell you THEY JUST DON'T KNOW.(my own emphasis, not Hugo's) Anybody who knows anything knows he is very technical. Everybody in the world today who is involved in no-holds-barred owes thanks to the Gracie family. The old myths that used to exsist have all been destroyed. So when I go to the ring, now, I'm so much more relaxed than I was in the begining because now no o9ne is intimidated by reputation alone. But I can tell you that Rickson is much more than just an empty reputation. Rickson is the leader of Jiu-Jitsu and I am the leader of Lutre Livre, so a fight between us would generate a lot of interest and be very successful. I would be willing to fight for free just to see it happen. If he agreeed to fight with me I would be so happy.

Q. Who do you think is the best NHB fighter?

A. There are a lot of tough guys there today. Igor Vovchanchin is one of them. A very nice humble guy out of the ring-so nice and polite-yet, he is able to become an animal in the ring. Mark Kerr, also is a tough guy. But there are many other guys who are just as good I think. It is like the wind, you know. Sometimes it blows one way and sometimes thee other, so I think it is very hard to point out one fighter. I think there are a a group of top fighters and it just depends on the night as to who will win. I belive that in NHB that if the top guys fought each other a lot of myths would be broken. But, unfortuantly, a lot of guys choose not to fight. People would rather hide behind the curtian rather than fight, so you never know who the best really is.

The rest of the interview is just about Lutre Luvre it's history, what it is about...etc...