With the recent word that Roger Gracie has sustained an injury and pulled out of his upcoming SENGOKU fight scheduled for September 28th, the organization seems to be on the offensive, releasing details about Gracie and the situation that do not show the fighter in a good or positive light. Obviously, all the facts are not on the table, and even with this detail, SENGOKU has managed to make themselves look bad, by attempting to sully the reputation of one of their biggest draws.
‘Obviously, Roger Gracie is injured and his own doctors have determined that he cannot perform’ a close member of Gracie’s staff states. ‘SENGOKU has been negative about this, insisting that their own doctor’s examine him and that Roger fly to Japan for this medical check, and they want him there alone without his staff or management. This request is so ridiculous that it does not even seem real’.
A close observer of the Japanese scene points out ‘SENGOKU has a structure of corporate sponsorship, and here it is apparent that their management has absolutely no understanding of the fight business whatsoever. Additionally, they have a structure that sees SENGOKU not only as a promoter of events, but they are a management company of specific talent. This structure would be unacceptable in the United States, where things are run by the book and regulated. This type of conflict of interest is OK in SENGOKU, and because some of their talent are potential opponents for Roger, now you can see one reason why they maybe taking this less than ethical approach.’
Our observer continues ‘Sengoku also does not have any commission overseeing their medical process. It is heavily rumored that they asked Gracie to fight on some type of drug, or with shots for the pain. This has no regard for the health and welfare of the fighter, and again is obviously a bad decision made by a non athlete who does not understand the fight business. Why would Roger not want to be examined by the SENGOKU doctors? They obviously have only the promotions interest in mind if they are asking him to fight injured by taking drugs – the Gracie team is right to have no trust in a company or a doctor that would ask that of an athlete.’
As the situation stands now, Gracie has invited SENGOKU to send medical personnel to London for an examination, where his injury will be completely proven. Our Gracie insider concludes ‘They are welcome to come, where Roger’s status will be fully proven. They already did this offensive, and it is amateurish and laughably ignorant, since they have launched this smear campaign without a shred of evidence. Roger wants nothing more than to fight, and he will be fully vindicated.’ Sounds like executives at SENGOKU have let their egos get the best of them, and they may have ruined the trust of their most marketable star. More details to come!
