A Conversation with Henry Akins
GUMBY: So what was it like finding Rickson at that point?
HENRY AKINS: I walked into the academy and Luis (Heirdia) and Mauricio were the main instructors at the time and the guys were just so cool and laid back. At that time Jiu Jitsu wasn’t that big yet because no one knew what it was. I don’t even think the first UFC happened yet [editors note, the first UFC happened November 12, 1993] , it was to happen a few months later. Everyone was really cool. Rickson came in and I got to train with him, and at that time I knew who we was but you didn’t have an idea of how good he was until after you had been training with him for awhile and you could see everything that he could do. Even now days when I train with him it’s hard to understand how good he is, he treats everyone like a white belt.
