I love Renzo Gracie so much. The dude is hilarious, a born fighter and easily my favorite member of the Gracie family. He has that winning smile, you know? Either way, even though he’s well into his 40’s, Renzo wants one more fight inside the Octagon before he officially calls it quits to go off and teach Anthony Bourdain and Chris Weidman how to bang.
He even offered to fight for free. Dana White laughed. He recalled this on The MMA Hour:
“He was a gentleman, he made me an offer I almost couldn’t refuse. He offered me a check to not fight and I almost couldn’t refuse. ‘Renzo, I like you so much I would hate if you get hurt.’ Getting hurt is part of our business, you know?
“His offer was almost as good as mine,” he continued. “Mine, he couldn’t refuse. His, I could refuse. I said, ‘Please, don’t do that to me. Let me get there one more time,’ and he laughed. He told me, ‘Tell me when (you want to fight).’”
“I offered to fight for free, and he laughed, I could never have you fight for free. Not you,’ (White responded). It’s not money I need, and he said, ‘I know.’ I want to do something without the need to do that. I think that way a man fights better.”