On the undercard of Bellator 222, amongst other notable names, is Robson Gracie Jr. making his second professional MMA appearance.
New York, NY – While Neiman Gracie headlines Bellator 222, another member of the legendary family is on the undercard: Robson Gracie Jr. He’ll be taking on Oscar Vera who will be making his professional debut.
His last name is what people will always notice first about him, and Robson told Cageside Press he is proud of that.
“It’s amazing to represent the family. Especially with the support of Renzo, and having him as my head coach. Representing the camp, representing the family is really good.”
Robson lives and trains in New York City, making this the perfect card for him to continue his MMA run.
“I live here for almost four years, so it’s fine. The gym is like four blocks away. So it’s like a regular day, nothing different. It’s going to be really good, excited because the students are going to be here, my friends. So I’m going to be really excited to fight next to my crowd.”
While he can’t quite put into words what fighting at MSG will be like, Gracie is incredibly grateful for the opportunity.
“I can’t say yet. But I think I’m just going to feel that, I’ll feel that when I get inside here, see the crowd, see the cage and everything. Because I still can’t believe that happened.”
Gracie, like several other martial arts specialists, was signed by Bellator before making his professional debut. It’s important for fighters like Gracie who excel in other sports to have that platform waiting for them when they transition to MMA.
“I think they trust in the Gracie name. That’s why they signed me up.
I hope I give them back the trust they give to me. So I want to be a good fighter, represent Bellator, fight for them for a while, and I want to say thank you for the opportunity to represent them.”
Not only did Gracie win by submission in his professional debut, it was in Hawaii, which is a unique experience for any athlete.
“It was amazing. The crowd was really good, the weather was good, and the good thing was, after I took a vacation – I stayed there longer. 20 days.”
While he has plenty of experience grappling, Robson wanted to keep the Gracie name in MMA.
Because I grew up watching my brothers, Renzo, Charles, Ryan, my family. It was a kid’s dream to represent and demonstrate MMA.”
Robson Gracie Jr. is hoping for a rear-naked choke victory, so see if he succeeds on the Bellator 222 prelims at 7 p.m. EDT on DAZN.
