Wiki says Rickson is quoted in 2008 as saying he is considering a comeback if the money is right.
Could he be working on his striking to be ready if/when he makes that phone call? Or has arthritis and slowness proven to be a deal killer.
Some indications against a Rickson victory over Brock or Fedor, not even considering age:
- A good standup game can be neutralized by staying in close, if done right. See Couture vs. Gonzaga.
- A good technician cannot take strikes indefinitely. See Hughes vs. Royce, or Mir vs. Brock II.
- It seems Mir could not have done much once on the ground against Brock. What would/could Rickson do differently? Or Fedor for that matter? Just survive until the ref stands it up or the end of the round, then unload on Brock's chin the next stand up.
Rumors of Rickson's comeback has been circulating since his Funaki fight. And he's the one that use to say that it wasn't about money but about honor and upholding the family name.
Spending a lot time with Rickson both on and off the mat (I was able to take those one hour privates with him for two years straight) I really came to look up to him. He's a pure warrior through and through. But, and I hate to say this, he doesn't match his father, the great Helio Gracie. Maybe skill wise he surpassed him but not as a warrior. I say this because Helio would have fought Sakuraba in his prime when Saku was schooling all of Rickson's brothers and cousins. Helio would have fought Saku in the cage, in the ring, on the beach, in a parking lot. He would have fought him for a million dollars, for .50 cents or for free. Helio really exuded an ethos of a grim and harden warrior. You could see it in his face even well into his twilight years. Don't get me wrong. He was very warm, friendly and quick with a smile. But when it came to fighting -- he was all business.
Helio Gracie was a great man.
