Roger Gracie is yet another of the seemingly endless line of Gracie family Brazilian Jiu Jitsu monsters. All Roger has done is win six BJJ World Championships and the 2006 Abu Dhabi submission wrestling championship where he made history by submitting every opponent he faced. Picture freezes again–anyway, we’re back to the video preview. Yuki Kondo is well known to MMA fans and that’s what provides the real interest in this fight–this is only Gracie’s 2nd MMA fight. In other words, he’s had **71** fewer professional MMA bouts than Kondo. Hopefully Yuki has given up the Enya music as his ring entrance music. Gracie enters first with a piano instrumental–I’m hoping it transitions into some speed metal but so far nothing doing. Gracie looks slightly nervous as he walks to the ring with a dozen or assorted Brazilians and Gracies in tow. The song transitions into some almost goth sounding techno/drum machine thing. Kondo enters next and he’s still using Enya for the ring entrance. He needs to take some tips from Big Jim York and bust out some Pantera. If you weren’t’ watching the video based on the entrance music alone you’d think you were watching a Japanese yoga show. Kondo looks relaxed, which you’d expect since he’s entering his 72nd MMA bout. Gracie is a big dude, but not especially “cut”–not that this is a big deal for a BJJ specialist. Gracie looks like he’s a good foot taller than Kondo…anyway, we’re ready to fight

ROUND 1:

Gracie makes like Kevin Randleman and bulls his opponent to the corner, before a back leg trip gets him to the ground. Roger quickly gets side control which is the last place you want to be with a BJJ world champion. Gracie transitions to a top mount and pops Yuki in the head a few times. Yuki instinctively turns his back to avoid the blows which is yet another place you don’t want to have a BJJ world champion. Back to top mount and Gracie pummeling Yuki with fists. Gracie takes Kondo’s back and cinches in the rear naked choke–I don’t think Kondo ever tapped but the referee stops it:

ROGER GRACIE WINS BY SUBMISSION (Rear Naked Choke)

Just checked some records and Roger Gracie is listed as 6′4″ 220 and Kondo at 5′11″ 194 which explains why it l0oked like Gracie was so much bigger–he was. Hard to get a good feel for these things with such a size disparity, but Kondo may be nearing the end of the line. 72 MMA fights (actually as many as 76 by some counts) in 12 years has to take a toll.