Rickson: If you're not afraid of COVID-19, you're stupid

Rickson Gracie is beyond a legend in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, never having lost a match, and winning every one by submission. He also holds a perfect 11-0 record in MMA. And he’s a veteran of countless out-of-competition fights. In the 1999 documentary Choke, Rickson talked about fear.

“Guys who say they are not afraid of anything, they are stupid,” he said. “They are silly to me…I am afraid of everything.”

During a recent appearance on the InfernoCast podcast, Rickson talked about fear, and COVID-19.

Jiu-Jitsu is very gentle,” he said. “It’s an art that makes people come together. You have to feel the opponent, there’s a connection right there. It’s a perception of energy, that connection of the perception transcends the fight. Just by shaking a hand, you can read a guy’s personality. Jiu-Jitsu teaches how to approach and feel confident in situations. In Jiu-Jitsu, the important thing you learn is about yourself. You start to become comfortable to be in the hell you live in.

If you’re not afraid, you’re stupid. About COVID-19, saying you are not afraid of it, is a big mistake. If I get it, for example, I’ll take it easy, eat well, stay healthy. I will take all the precautions and strategies no matter what is necessary to overcome this enemy. I may even die of COVID, but it would not be a lack of strategy and anticipation. I will follow through until the last day.

Fear is a friend, because it puts you in a situation of attention, of precaution. I can’t take chances with things I don’t know. I have to protect myself. Fear helps me make adjustments. If I have to fight someone I will be afraid of him, since he knows how to beat and defend himself. Only, on the day of the fight, I keep my fear in the closet and fill myself with courage. It overcomes fear and prevents me from breaking.