How come Gracie's never get finished by strikes?

[Mr. Miyagi]

It's true. Rickson, Royler, Renzo, Ralph, and Royce have all gone up against some mean strikers but have never been KO'd or suffered a stoppage due to strikes. Meanwhile, other great bjj fighters like Amaury, Wallid, Sperry, JJM, Saulo, and Iha have all gotten in big trouble with strikes. Any one of these guys, great fighters, might have slipped up in the early UFC's where Royce consistently did not get slugged. Is there something that the Gracies do while shooting and clinching that prevents themselves from getting walloped like the other bjj guys?

[tuffguy]

I think onw of the big reasons they don't take the punishment other BJJ fighters have is thier style. Guys like Bitetti, Sperry and Saulo all prefer to be on top in sportt JJ, get takedowns etc... not so much play from the guard. Guys like Renzo, Rickson, Royce etc... are very comfortable from the guard and have very good defense from that position.

[hounddog]

also....

they don't fight in the UFC. The number 1 source of ref stoppages in the fighting game today.

[Patterson]

If the Gracie's fight a good striker he most likely can't stop a takedown. And thats not very hard for them to deal with. Sakuraba is the only guy I can think of that any of them have fought that could both strike and defend a takedown. And Royce would have been finished by strikes if he didn't quit. No Maurice Smith can't defend a takedown.

[Eazy-E]

Royce really was finished by Sak by strikes.

Royce said he quit because he broke his foot, and Sak repeatedly kicked him, I think this really does qualify as 'finished by strikes.'

So we have a first!

[bobby_steeles]

E is right. i think it was in the interview on that link that someone posted here a week or two ago. royce said he was on the ground and there was a point where sak was standing and kicked him twice in the same spot. he said the second kick broke his foot. he also said that the broken foot was the reason why he could not continue.

[bobby_steeles]

i could go back and cut & pate that part of the interview, but that would be a pain in the @ss.

[Pintufa]

most of the gracies train specifcally on counter attacking.

[tuffguy]

I don't think that that's true. I think certain guys like ROyce are counter fighters and that is the way they fight. But guys like Renzo, Ryan and Ralph are aggressive fighters who try to take the fight to thier opponant. Everybody ahs a different style.

[vortrex]

well not to mention they can take a punch. ever seen the royler x sak fight where his head is punted? royler falls back, maybe goes out for a split second, then is back and ready again. also, when he was 19 he took a lot of shots against tadeau, sometimes going out, but then comeing right back. I don't think there is anyone out there who recovers as quickly as royler.

[pigpen]

Besides Renzo and the Royce/Sak fight, I don't think any of them have faced any good strikers with good takedown defense. It's pretty hard to get a knockout on the ground.

[Tiger69]

The reason that the Gracies never been finished is because they are special fighters and a true warrior. You cannot compare them to a typical BJJer such as Ismail, Sperry, Bitteit, or whoever. The Gracies are the true Jiu Jitsu player, they know how to use it right.

[Patterson]

Royce has been finished by strikes...

[Tiger69]

Patterson, which fight you were watching? Royce was never finished.

[Patterson]

The one where Sakuraba broke Royce's foot, ankle, shin, whatever it was with a kick and Royce quit.