RIZIN: Royce vs. Wallid Ismael?
“I spoke with Royce Gracie. He said that he is ready to fight … We could organize a fight between Walid Ismail and Royce Gracie, for example.”
In a recent interview, translated buy Karim Zidan, former Pride FC boss and current RIZIN CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara said he wanted Royce Gracie, Wanderlei Silva, and Mirko Crocop in his two-day debut show on New Years Eve.
“We had plans at the invitation of Wanderlei Silva and Mirko Cro Cop, but only Fedor was free from various linking contracts,” said Sakakibara. “The Japanese public is very curious to see Wanderlei Silva at our tournament, but he is bound by the obligations with UFC. If he is freed, then we’d definitely get in contact with him.”
“I want to see all of US fighters who fought in PRIDE. I contacted Ricardo Arona, and invited him, but he was forced to reject because of his knee injury, and he does not know how long it will take to recover.
“We also want to give a chance to fighter over 45 years old. We see that Dan Henderson is 45 and continues to compete. When I was in the United States today, I spoke with Royce Gracie. He said that he is ready to fight. Ken Shamrock is also interested. We could organize a fight between Walid Ismail and Royce Gracie, for example.”
“On December 29, we will hold a tournament that will remind everyone about PRIDE. Everything will take place in exactly the same ring. The December 31 tournament will be held with more refined measures. The tournament will be in a ring, but not an ordinary ring. This will be something you have never seen before. We are building it now. You will be shocked. The show will have nothing to do with PRIDE.”
