Strikeforce to sign Roger Gracie?

2005 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championship Absolute Division and Under-99kg Champion Roger Gracie is reportedly close to signing a contract with Strikeforce.

Roger is the grandson of the late 10th-degree red belt Carlos Gracie Sr., one of the creators of the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Roger runs his own BJJ academy in London, England. He has won dozens of grappling tournaments and is generally regarded as one of the top Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in the world. In competition Gracie has defeated Shinya Aoki, Renaldo 'Jacare' Souza, Robert Drysdale, Alexandre 'Xande' Ribeiro, Fabricio Werdum, and 7th-degree BJJ black belt Rigan Machado.

Roger made his long-awaited MMA debut at BoDog Fight: USA vs. Russia in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2006, defeating veteran Ron 'H2O' Waterman by armbar in the first round. Roger has only fought once since, choking-out Yuki Kondo at Sengoku 2 last year.

The 6'5" 27-year old is expected to compete in the light heavyweight or heavyweight division.

http://www.fightline.com/news/mma/2009/0513/409732/strikeforce/index.shtml

 

Though Roger has taken a bit too long to enter MMA, he is still widely considered one of the top prospects the sport has had in a long time. His grappling skills are phenomenal, and should transition well to MMA. Unlike many BJJ champions who have difficulty competing without gis, Roger has won many no-gi competitions. His striking is light years behind his grappling, but some modern BJJ fighters, such as Demian Maia, have adjusted to the sport of MMA without a great deal of striking ability. Maybe it will be something he develops during his career, rather than prior to it.