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Unbeaten Neiman Gracie eyes title ‘pretty soon,’ ready for Bellator 198 – and beyond

CHICAGO – As you probably know by now, Neiman Gracie’s family is kind of a big deal.

Being a Gracie comes with a few things in the MMA world. It comes with attention, for sure. It comes with a certain level of expectations. And it comes with answering many slight variations of the same question: How does the great-grandson of Carlos Gracie and nephew of Renzo Gracie carry such a heavy legacy?

“I think I’m used to the pressure,” Gracie said during a press conference Thursday to promote Bellator 198. “I’ve been competing since I was 12 years old and carrying the name.”

The name can’t be ignored, but no one can say the Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert hasn’t been working toward making his own path in MMA. When he meets Javier Torres (10-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) on Saturday at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., just outside Chicago, Gracie (7-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) will bring an unbeaten record in which all but one win came via submission.

The welterweight bout is part of the main card of Bellator 198, which airs on Paramount after prelims on MMAjunkie. In the headlining bout, legends Fedor Emelianenko and Frank Mir will collide in the opening round of Bellator’s ongoing heavyweight grand prix.

It’s certainly not a bad spot to be in. But Gracie, who co-headlined Bellator 185 and was featured on the main card of the historic Bellator NYC, landing submission wins in both, isn’t at all overwhelmed.

“It feels like just another fight,” Gracie said. “I hope to perform well. I’ve been training really hard.”

Gracie has already made it clear he’s not worried about surprising people when it comes to the outcomes of his fights. He wants a submission win against Torres – much like he does against basically anyone who stands across from him.

He’s also made no secret of his plans for the future. It’s been a slow build in the promotion so far, but if he manages to get past a Bellator debutant in Torres, the 29-year-old Gracie had already told MMAjunkie that he wants a step up in competition.

The goal is quite simple: getting a stab at the title, which is currently held by Rory MacDonald, soon. In fact, make that “pretty soon.”

“Maybe not the next fight, but one or two more,” Gracie said.

That involves, of course, getting past Torres. But Gracie is already thinking ahead. He has, in fact, already come up with a name to ask for should things go his way on Saturday.

Curious? You’ll have have to wait.

“You guys are going to know on Saturday night, if everything goes well,” Gracie said.

To hear from Gracie, check out the video above.

And for more on Bellator 198, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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