Neiman Gracie’s upcoming opponent might be new to the weight class, but he’s been on his radar for a long time.
Gracie (11-3 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) takes on Goiti Yamauchi in the main event of Friday’s Bellator 285 in South Dakota. It’s a matchup pitting two of the best grapplers on the company’s roster. Yamauchi (27-5 MMA, 13-4 BMMA) doesn’t have the same family prestige or the sport jiu-jitsu accolades as Gracie, but that doesn’t mean Gracie doesn’t have high regard for his ground game.
“I used to watch him a lot because he has such a good submission game,” Gracie told MMA Junkie. “I followed him a lot and his fights.”
He later added,
“I’ve watched him for years. He’s really, really good. (His jiu-jitsu) is very, very high. The guy has over 20 submissions (on his record). I think it’s very, very high. If I’m able to finish him with a submission, I think that puts me at the top.”
Yamauchi emphasized at Wednesday’s Bellator 284 media day that he’s honored to be fighting a Gracie family member. Gracie very much respects Yamauchi’s approach.
“It’s great,” Gracie said. “He’s a gentleman, I’m a gentleman. It’s going to be a gentlemen fight, and it’s just business at the end of the day. I think it’s nice. I’ve fought guys who’ve had the same mentality before, and it’s really nice.
“I like this way better. I feel like sometimes people do trash talk that is fake, and it brings a bad energy to the fight. I like this way better.”
