Roger Gracie joins Evolve MMA fight team

Roger Gracie won the ONE Championship light heavyweight title at the Singapore Indoor Stadium last Friday (recap) and he will be spending a lot more time in the country after deciding to join Evolve MMA.

The 10-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) world champion became the first Gracie to win a title in the modern era when he submitted Michal Pasternak at ONE: "Ascent to Power" and finished his fight camp at Evolve MMA in Singapore in preparation for that title bout.

Gracie announced after that fight that he intends to challenge for the middleweight belt and become the organization's first two division champion. He plans to spend several months this year training in Singapore as he looks to improve on his 9-2 record and potentially win a second title.

"I am thrilled to join the Evolve Fight Team, one of the best teams in the world. I want to sharpen my Muay Thai under the army of Muay Thai World Champions at Evolve as well as work on the rest of my MMA game. The family culture is the perfect environment for any world-class fighter to improve his/her skills. I also hope to share my Jiu-Jitsu knowledge with everyone at Evolve. My plan is to spend several months a year at Evolve in Singapore. I am really looking forward to this next chapter of my MMA career," he said.

Gracie has already been on multiple training trips to Singapore and Evolve MMA head coach Heath Sims is delighted to have him joining the team on a permanent basis.

"Roger has trained many times here over the years and he is a perfect fit with the family at Evolve MMA. The beautiful thing about martial arts is that there is always room for improvement, the learning curve never stops, and Roger is always eager to share his vast knowledge while at the same time constantly open to learning new techniques from our World Champion instructors and fighters," he said.

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