Gracie (50), a member of the prominent Brazilian jiu-jitsu family, arrived in Dunedin this week for a coaching class with children yesterday and an adult seminar today at the New Zealand Fight & Fitness Academy.
Gracie said jiu-jitsu was in a good space across the world, no doubt helped by recent results in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship).
‘‘It's always growing,'' Gracie said.
‘‘There's more people training, more people involved and more people who realise not only is it a martial art, it's not something you do because you need to be a fighter, but it's a lifestyle. It makes you feel a better person and makes you feel comfortable in any situation.''
Nate Diaz and Miesha Tate are two people who were certainly more comfortable than their opponents at UFC 196 in Las Vegas earlier this month.
They both claimed their respective world titles using the same jiu-jitsu technique - a rear-naked choke.
Gracie said Tate's opponent, Holly Holm - who upset the unbeaten Ronda Rousey for the world bantamweight title in November - was an ‘‘amazing boxer'', but Tate was clinical in her take-down of Holm.
‘‘She has tried to keep the distance, get the clinch, putting her down, mount and control,'' Gracie said.
‘‘In the other fight, Diaz has done the some thing. He has an amazing floor [technique].''
Gracie respected Diaz's opponent Conor McGregor who had moved to the welterweight class to take on Diaz.
‘‘He talked a lot. It's to promote the fight, I understand.
‘‘But in the same way, he made it a good promotion for jiu-jitsu because Diaz choked him out and finished him with jiu-jitsu. So the whole world said ‘‘talk is good but it's not going to finish the other guy''.
''Gracie smiled a lot during yesterday's interview, and said jiu-jitsu was more than just what happened on the mat.
‘‘If you enjoy what you do, it makes your life easy. For me, it's work, but at the same time, it's something I enjoy.
‘‘People come to to me and say ‘jiu-jitsu helped me do my business better and my relationship with my friends is getting better'. That's the big deal in jiu-jitsu - the confidence.''
Speaking of confidence, Gracie has plenty in Dunedin coach Ryan Henry and the professional gym on High St.
‘‘Ryan is a very good instructor because he's already had a school before, he's a good striker and he's become really good at jiu-jitsu and as a teacher, it's a big compliment for the country.
‘‘And for us, for jiu-jitsu to be on the other side of the world - I'm glad I have a school I can visit here once in a while to see how they teach. That's amazing.''
