In 2006, Renzo was invited to participate in "60 Minutes", one of the most famous and respected shows on American TV, aired by the CBS network. That interview was a watershed for MMA, transforming the way the sport was seen in the USA. Until then, journalists from the mainstream media came undertaking a campaign against MMA, aiming at the definitive banishment of the country's tournaments. They argued that it was a bloody activity, full of bullies who brutalized each other, and that its legalization should be forcefully avoided by the authorities of each state. In New York, for example, MMA was banned... Images abounded in the media of fighters bleeding in the ring, and the general opinion about the sport was extremely negative and stereotyped.
 
In this antagonistic context, reporter Scott Pelley and his production looked for two representative names to interview: they chose Renzo and his former student Pat Miletich, now a master and champion of numerous tournaments. Their initial intention was to show people that wrestlers are stupid and aggressive individuals. But the TV crew underestimated their interviewees, and the show's outcome was the opposite of what they intended.
 
RENZO: I had a student who was from CBS. He warned me that the guys were coming with bad intentions, to spoil MMA.
 
It turned out to be the most watched episode of the show's last 25 years. And, soon after the exhibition, everything changed: the demand for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gyms multiplied; MMA tournaments were authorized in NY; UFC became a potency (with the collaboration of the reality show TUF–The Ultimate Fighter, produced by the organization, which was shown at the same time); and the IFL- INTERNATIONAL FIGHT LEAGUE, whose shares on the market were worth 25 cents, rose to 17 dollars a share, thanks to the direct reverberation of the interview.
 
RENZO: It became huge! After "60 Minutes", business exploded... That was the day that MMA had its turning point.
 
Renzo was training at the gym on 30th Street, precisely to face Pat Miletich in September 2006 at the IFL: GRACIE VS MILETICH event, when a man walked in and asked for him: “Who is Renzo Gracie?”
 
The receptionist informed him that Renzo was in the middle of training.
 
"I'm from '60 Minutes'. Ask him to stop and come talk to me now”, insisted the producer bluntly.
 
Renzo was on the same floor and was listening to the conversation out of the corner of his eye. He didn't stop what he was doing: he continued training and, only when he was done, went to talk to the producer.
 
"We want to do an interview with you tomorrow. Be here at 10am”, said the man.
 
"You can come in with your team and prepare everything from 10am. But I'll be training at this time. At 11am I can talk to you”, corrected Renzo.
 
 “We're from '60 Minutes' and you need to be ready by 10am!”
 
Renzo took a deep breath: “Champ, let me explain: I don't care if it's 60 minutes, 60 months, 60 years or 60 seconds, because I've never watched that show in my life! I will be available for you at 11am."
 
Visibly irritated, the producer withdrew.
 
Next day the show's staff entered the gym at 10am with journalist and presenter Scott Pelley walking ahead. To get an idea of the scale and scope of "60 Minutes" at that time, the following week the interview would be with George W. Bush, then US president.
 
Renzo and Scott sat face to face at 11am and the cameras started rolling.
 
 (to be continued)