#2: Gracie camp. What's the deal?

As we all know, Royce revolutionized the MMA scene when he dominated a little known organization known as the UFC in their first few events.  No one knew the power of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu when Royce burst on the scene putting both BJJ and the Gracie name forever into MMA history.

Throughout the years, many other Gracies would come and go in the MMA scene.  Most recently, Ralek and Roger.  But the Gracie camp in the San Francisco Bay Area would also produce a cadre of notable fighters without the Gracie last name.  These fighters would single handedly dominate 3 of the 5 weight classes in the Strikeforce organization.  Gilbert Melendez, Nick Diaz, and Jake Shields cornered the Lightweight, Welterweight, and Middleweight divisions in Strikeforce.  That is.... until the UFC bought out Strikeforce.

In 2010, after almost getting absolutely knocked out cold in the first round, Jake Shields rallied back and took Dan Henderson to a decision win in one of the most important victories of his career to retain his Middleweight title.  He would then vacate the title for a move down to Welterweight and a title eliminator shot against UFC top contender Martin Kampmann. 

We all know what happened.  Shields won against Kampmann and then looked like a fish out of water against Georges St. Pierre.  Whatever, it happens.  St. Pierre is one of the ultimate "Game Planners" in the sport.  Don't believe me?  Just ask Josh Koscheck how good he looked against St. Pierre.  Certainly no one can blame Shields for putting on a lackluster display against one of the pound for pound greats like St. Pierre.

But Nick Diaz would change all that, right?.  Like Shields, he too would vacate his Strikeforce Welterweight belt for a chance at Georges St. Pierre after submitting the BJJ blackbelt Evangelista Santos and following that by doing the unthinkable in TKO'ing dangerous striker Paul Daley.  Of all the fighters GSP has faced and defended his belt against, Nick Diaz was the one guy I gave the best chance to snapping GSP's streak.  In fact, I believe Diaz's BJJ is better than GSP's, I think his striking is on par or better than GSP's, and I felt GSP's best chance to beat Diaz would be to wrestle him down, get up, rinse and repeat.

But... Diaz blew it.  Why?  Who knows.  Diaz/GSP was to be one of maybe 3 super fights I'd hoped I'd get to see in my lifetime but Diaz chose to fuck it up.  Diaz is still one of my favorite fighters, but I'm seriously less than thrilled for Diaz/Penn and even less excited for GSP/Condit.  Not that Condit isn't a great fighter or doesn't have a puncher's chance, or Penn having a chance to beat Diaz, but I digress.  Even though I know this isn't the case, not showing up to a couple of press conferences made it look as though Diaz was scared to fight GSP.

Finally, we have Jake Shields's last outing against Jake Ellenberger.  I realize Shields had just lost his Dad, and I certainly wish his family the best during this difficult time of grieving, but getting the second TKO of his career to Ellenberger makes me believe that 170 may not be his division.  I think he needs to stay at 185.  Maybe it was the weight cut, maybe it was his Dad weighing on his mind, but losing in 53 seconds to Ellenberger whose best win at that time had been John Howard was rather embarassing for a former and dominant MW champ like Shields.

So what's the deal, Cesar?  Is Shields in the wrong weight class?  Why can't anyone find Diaz for some press conferences?  There are so many questions that I would love to ask.  Cesar himself blasted Diaz publicly for his no-shows and even went so far as to say Diaz disrespected the sport, and the Cesar Gracie camp for his actions.

It seems as though we're beginning to see an unraveling of the Gracie camp.  I hope I'm wrong, but these things have happened before.  There was a time when Greg Jackson's camp seemed to dominate the UFC while the Gracie camp dominated Strikeforce.... Now we're seeing AKA step it up. (Cain, Luke Rockhold)  It makes me wonder what's going on over there at Gracie Jiu-jitsu.  I hope it's just a bump in the road.

Oh, and Gilbert?  You rock bro.

--Andy