WSOF 5's Neiman Gracie hopes to show he has skills beyond his name in MMA debut

With MMA’s most famous name attached to him for life, it would be understandable if Neiman Gracie was feeling the pressure.

He probably is, but it’s not bothering him. Not even before his first MMA fight.

Gracie (0-0) will make his MMA debut as a pro, with no amateur fights – just a decorated jiu-jitsu background – on Saturday at World Series of Fighting 5 against Darren Costa (0-1).

WSOF 5 takes place at Revel Atlantic City in New Jersey. Gracie vs. Costa is part of the preliminary card, which streams live at MMAjunkie.com ahead of the main card on NBC Sports Network. Neiman is one of three members of the Gracie family fighting on the show, joining Gregor (7-3) and Rolles (8-1).

Neiman said he tries to put any family name pressure out of his mind.

“I’m used to it already,” he recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio. “I’ve been competing since I was 10 years old, and I’m used to the pressure. You’ve just got to not think about it too much – that’s the key. I just want to get in there, fight, do my job and finish the guy.”

But though he admits he wants to get a finish in his first MMA fight, he’s not going to go much father than that when it comes to making predictions about how the fight might go down.

After all, he hasn’t been in there outside of training. Will he put that famed Gracie jiu-jitsu on display? Will he try to make a case for his family having skills beyond just on the ground? Saturday will tell, he said.

“I’m not going to promise anything,” Gracie said. “I’ll let my actions talk. But I think I’m ready to fight anywhere the fight goes. I’m ready to show every aspect of MMA, and I hope I can do that on Saturday. I didn’t fight as an amateur – I’m going straight to the pros, and let’s see what will happen. I’m ready – that’s all I can say.”

But he knows one thing – being a Gracie so far hasn’t hurt. If he was Neiman “Smith,” or Neiman “Johnson,” who knows where he’d be making his MMA debut. But he’s Neiman Gracie, and that carries enough sway to get a look from an up-and-coming major promotion like WSOF.

“(Being a Gracie) gives you something,” he said. “My uncles fought before me, my father fought before me, my grandpa. So if you have your father, your uncles, your grandfather, your great-grandfather fighting before you, of course that helps you a little to get a good contract.

“But it doesn’t help when it’s time to fight. You’ve got to be ready. Last names don’t win fights.”

For more on WSOF 5, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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