Pride Fighting Championship: You guys train together for this fight?
Rodrigo Gracie: Everybody lives together and trains together for these fights.
PRIDE: Who is the messiest Gracie?
Gracie: Daniel
PRIDE: You have some special treat for the Japanese people?
Gracie: I'm coming out as a character called "Muscle Man" in America, "Kin-niku Man" in Japan. He's been around for about 20 years but they just came out with a new generation. It's a cartoon but it's cool. They do arm-bars, kicks, knees, everything.
PRIDE: What do you think about the Gracies vs. Japan idea?
Gracie: Well, they say Gracies versus Japan but it's just a show for us. This is all for the fans.
PRIDE: What's it going to take for you to win?
Gracie: He's a grappler and he likes to take his opponent down. I expect him to throw a couple of punches standing up but I don't think he has improved since his last fight. But he may surprise me so I have to be aware of everything. His main thing is grappling. If I play the right strategy, it will be good for me. That was a beautiful move on Anderson Silva. He took him down and kept him tight. I think Anderson underestimated him on the ground.
PRIDE: What do you think about Yoshida?
Gracie: I think the Japanese just want to make a hero. They want Yoshida to be a hero and I think that's why the referee did what he did. Since Sakuraba lost, they need a new hero. This year though, there's a lot of strong Japanese fighters coming out. Not only that, they are going to America and training all over. Ryan's opponent was training in the Rockies with Randy Couture. They are starting to open their eyes about training with different people and different styles.
PRIDE: Do you think that will be good for the sport overall?
Gracie: Yeah because the fighters are really good now. Back then, nobody knew jiu-jitsu. Now everybody knows jiu-jitsu. Before, no holds barred was no gloves and was a disadvantage for the striker. If you hit somebody in the face, you might break your hand. A lot of guys broke their hands in the beginning of the UFC. It seemed very brutal so for them to save the NHB, they had to use gloves. In a way, it saved NHB. At the same time, it limited jiu-jitsu a bit.
PRIDE: Where you training in America?
Gracie: Yeah, in Manhattan.
PRIDE: Obviously BJJ is synonymous with the Gracies. How do you compare your standup to your ground game now?
Gracie: My ground game is much better than my standup. I think right now my standup is just making me feel comfortable standing. It's just so I don't feel like I HAVE to put the guy on the ground when I get in the ring. I want to punish a little bit and when I see an opening, I'll take him down. If I fight a guy who's in good in wrestling and good in jiu-jitsu, I want to play on his weakness. It's good to be all-around. It's better to be good at everything rather than be great in just jiu-jitsu. Nowadays, that's the way it is. However, jiu-jitsu is the only art that a small guy has a chance against a much bigger opponent. Wrestling goes by weight. That's why jiu-jitsu is made for a guy who's not an athlete.
PRIDE: Do you think jiu-jitsu fighters rely on submitting from the guard too much?
Gracie: You have to work on new things otherwise people will catch on to your game. This business is a short-term business and you have to always change your game plan.
rodrigo rocks and is correct
Rodrigo is kewl!!!