Legendary jiu-jitsu fighter Renzo Gracie predicts the UAE will have more world champions in the future after hailing the federation’s efforts in developing the sport.
The 47-year-old from Brazil who is a 6th degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, founded by his grandfather Carlos Gracie, was in Abu Dhabi this past week to see for himself how the sport has flourished in the capital.
During his 10-day visit, Gracie conducted workshops at schools and also addressed a seminar attended by 300 UAE jiu-jitsu fighters and coaches at the First Gulf Bank (FGB) Arena.
And Gracie, who flies back to New York today, was impressed with the UAE-Jiu Jitsu Federation’s (UJJF) vision for the sport.
He said: “The UJJF are not only promoting the sport but they are also working extremely hard to make the sport better. They have improved in many aspects in raising the profile of the game and popularising the sport to the Middle East in a very efficient way.
“The UAE is developing a lot of future world champions and we’ll see some in a few years time. I had a chance to see kids who have been training at school every day, and when they finish they go to their academy to do after-school training. That is dedication and the UJJF is going the right way in doing all they can to raise the profile of the game, starting from the grass-roots.”
Among those at the FGB Arena last Thursday was the UAE’s Faisal Al Ketbi. The 26-year-old was conferred the black belt in May, just a month after winning double gold in the 100kg and open weight categories with a brown belt at the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu Jitsu Championship.
During the Armed Forces Officers Club Ramadan tournament in Abu Dhabi, Al Ketbi missed out on the podium, finishing fourth in the black belt competition.But Gracie, who has his own academies in the US, Brazil, Singapore, Canada and Mexico, has backed Al Ketbi to claim gold in the black belt division.
“I’ve known him since a very early age, when he was 13 or 14, and during that time I saw him develop and become a very good competitor,” said Gracie, who regularly visits Abu Dhabi.
“He’s a very good fighter and for sure he’s a star in the Emirates. And he worked very hard to get to the top. He has very good qualities – he’s a very smart and aggressive fighter and very technical. He has a strong mind and a heavy heart, those are the qualities a fighter needs. He has so many fantastic coaches here in UAE to train with.
“It takes a lot of hours and hard work to win gold in any belt colour. There’s no such thing as an easy match in jiu-jitsu.”
