Gracie Pro Jiu-Jitsu Marcus Buchecha Almeida vs Roger Gracie

It's True, Roger Gracie Retired Immediately After Submitting Buchecha

It's True, Roger Gracie Retired Immediately After Submitting Buchecha

Fans of jiu-jitsu could be forgiven for not catching Roger Gracie's statement after that match.

Jul 24, 2017 by Hywel Teague
It's True, Roger Gracie Retired Immediately After Submitting Buchecha
Fans of jiu-jitsu could be forgiven for not catching Roger Gracie's statement after Sunday's match in Rio de Janeiro. They were either too busy jumping up and down and screaming (if they were a fan of Gracie) or head-in-hands upset that Buchecha had lost.

The melee and the noise inside the venue even left some in attendance unsure what had just happened. You'd also have needed to speak Portuguese, as Roger used his post-match interview at Gracie Pro to confirm that this would indeed be his final jiu-jitsu match.

"I told myself if I won, if I do really well, that would be my career," he would later tell reporters.

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Roger Gracie defends Buchecha's takedown. Photo: Vitor Freitas / FloGrappling

Gracie had put his name forward for the IBJJF Heavyweight Grand Prix, which goes down on August 26 in Las Vegas.

He explained that he accepted the Grand Prix match in hopes that it would lead to a showdown with Buchecha in the final, giving Gracie the big match he was looking for as a career finale.

Gracie had already given verbal confirmation to his cousin Kyra Gracie that he would happily appear on her new event, should she lock in the match with Buchecha. When the date was announced for just one month before the Grand Prix, Gracie didn't want to look past the match and so left the door open to his participation.

However, Sunday's match changed everything. Gracie's sub-seven-minute submission of Buchecha gave him the closure he was searching for and enables him to walk away from jiu-jitsu with his head high.

No word just yet as to who will replace him for the IBJJF Heavyweight Grand Prix, which you will be able to watch live on FloGrappling on August 26. Check back for updates as we get them.