Royce Gracie interesting article. History of the Gracie family. UFC victories and the peak of fame
A truly legendary figure in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA. The man to whom Jiu-Jitsu owes its current popularity among mixed martial arts fighters. A man who actually proved the effectiveness of BJJ in real combat.
Full name: Royce Gracie
Line "Teacher - student": Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Royce Gracie
Team: Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
Major titles
- 3-time UFC Champion (UFC I - 1993, UFC II - 1994, UFC IV - 1994)
short biography
Royce (Hoyce) Gracie was born on December 12, 1966 in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Due to the fact that his father was the famous Grand Master Helio Gracie, it is quite logical that Royce met Jiu-Jitsu almost in infancy. He studied not only with his father, but also with older brothers: Roryron, Relson, Rickson and Royler Gracie.
Royce competed for the first time when he was only 8 years old. And he started giving BJJ lessons at the age of 14. Despite this, due to the need to follow the rules of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, he received his blue belt only at the age of 16 (the minimum age for holding a blue belt). A few months before Royce's 18th birthday (the minimum age for a black belt), his father, Helio Gracie, nevertheless decided to slightly break the rules of the federation and, at a solemn ceremony in which Rickson Gracie also participated, handed the black belt to his son. Some time later, Royce Gracie joined his brother Roryron and began teaching at the new Gracie Jiu-Jitsu academy.
In 1993, Royce took part in a tournament that would later radically change the world of martial arts and martial arts, and make Royce Gracie one of the real MMA legends. We are, of course, talking about the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). The purpose of the tournament was simple - to determine which style or martial art would be the most dominant in a real fight without rules. Royce sensationally won this tournament, where he was the easiest participant. Then he will take part in UFC 2, UFC 3 and UFC 4. Royce Gresi wins the second and fourth tournaments again, and in the third he drops out in the semifinals due to a serious injury.
In 1998, Royce was challenged to a Jiu-Jitsu fight. His opponent is to be Wallid Ismail, a student of his uncle, Carlson Gracie. Wallid believed that the Carlson Gracie school was much stronger than the Helio school, whose star student Royce was, and wanted a chance to prove it in practice. Wallid has already beaten Gracie family members Renzo and Ralph in previous tournaments. Now he wanted to deal with the main star of the Helio Academy. The fight was held according to special rules, many believed that Royce Gracie would remain undefeated this time, but his long downtime in Jiu-Jitsu tournaments made itself felt and soon after the start of the fight, Wallid made Royce Clok Chowk, forcing him to surrender.
Mitsue Maeda (Count Koma-battle count)
The history of Brazilian jujutsu begins with Japanese fighter, jujutsu master and Kodokan judo Mitsue Maeda (Count Koma-battle count). Maeda (1878 - 1941) was born in the small town of Aomori in the north of Honshu. At the age of eight he moved to the capital. He studies at the elite school of Hirosaki, where he was known as the “sumo child”. He received such a nickname due to his passion for the art of wrestling, which was taught by his father. Later, Maeda entered the university, which today is called Waseda and is known as a major training center. It was there that he trained in the technique of classical jujutsu. At the age of 18, he began training at the Kodokan (House of Learning the Way). The founder of the Kodokan Kano Jigoro (September 28, 1860 - May 4, 1938), master Kitoryu, Tenjin Shinye-ryu, and also on the basis of other jujutsu schools in 1882 created Judo (soft, flexible way). Maeda of average build, about 168 cm (5 ft 6 in) tall, weighing 70 kg (150 lbs), trains hard and earns 1st dan two years later. In 1901 he received the 3rd dan and worked as a judo instructor at the universities of Tokyo, Waseda, Gakushin.
In 1904, Jigoro Kano assigns Maeda the 4th dan and, together with Tomita Tsunejira, sends the 7th dan to the USA. A year earlier, American industrialist Samuel Hill invited Yamashita Yoshiaki (1875-1935) to go to the United States to train his son in judo. Yamashita accepted the offer, but, unfortunately, upon arriving in the United States, he learned that their contract was terminated due to the inflexible position of Mrs. Hill, who spoke out categorically against her son's Japanese wrestling. However, Hill managed to arrange another teaching position for Yamashita, as well as a meeting at the White House with US President Theodore Roosevelt, who, after reading Nitobe Inazo's (1862-1933) book Bushido, the Soul of Japan, became interested in samurai culture and martial arts. Yamashita, who is 162.5 cm tall and weighs 68 kg, successfully fought an American wrestler whose weight and height were twice that. This made a huge impression on Roosevelt, and he personally assisted Yamashita in obtaining a position as a judo teacher at the US Naval Academy with a salary of $ 5,000, which at that time was truly a royal salary. In parallel, Yamashita's wife taught judo to ladies from high society. In total, the couple spent two years in the United States. Less successful was the visit of Tomita Tsunejiro and Maeda.
Roosevelt wanted to have his own judo teacher in Washington, since Yamashita taught elsewhere. Kano recommended his first student for this place, a refined and educated person who knew English very well. But in terms of his wrestling level, Tomita was much inferior to the then stars of the Kodokan, so one of the strongest fighters Maeda went with Tomita. Obviously, according to the plan, Tomita was supposed to explain the theory of judo, Maeda - to demonstrate its effectiveness in fights. This plan worked successfully during a demonstration at West Point, where Maeda first countered the attacks of a professional American football player, and then a boxer. However, things did not turn out so well in Washington. After Tomita and Maeda held an official Kodokan Judo demonstration, one of the footballers present challenged Tomita personally. The result of the fight for the latter turned out to be deplorable: he failed to make a throw, and he immediately found himself crushed to the floor by the weight of the American's body. President Roosevelt diplomatically tried to cover up the incident by dismissing further competition on the pretext that Tomita was apparently badly affected by climate change, and invited the Japanese to a gala dinner at the White House. After that, Tomita returned to Japan, and Maeda, who longed to restore the reputation of jujutsu, remained in America. He fought a thousand fights and never lost in fights without rules or according to the rules of judo, and lost only twice in fights with professional wrestlers according to their rules. Maeda even challenged heavyweight champion Jack Johnson, who many called the best boxer of our time. So the Japanese started the tradition that Gracie would follow later: to challenge reigning boxing champions (Helio challenged Joe Luys, and Rickson challenged Mike Tyson). Boxers have also created a tradition of never accepting such a challenge. After his travels in North America, he traveled to Central and South, and later visited Europe. He fought in many professional fights and thus violated many of the moral precepts of judo, which were quite strict. Perhaps that is why Maeda called his art jujutsu and not judo. When he began to fight as a professional fighter, Maeda very often was forced to use techniques that were forbidden in judo, but were part of the jujutsu he had previously learned. In addition, Maeda was a smart and considerate innovator. He added new techniques to his arsenal and removed those that he considered ineffective. He developed his own style, the purpose of which was to successfully confront the two main types of fighters in the West - wrestlers and boxers. In matters of technique, he moved away from pure judo. While teaching people he met on his travels, Maeda insisted that they refer to his style as jujutsu. His amazing achievements have made him a legend in Central and South America. In the early 1920s, Maeda returned to Brazil and found himself at the center of a flurry of activity launched by the Japanese government to establish a colony in the northern part of the country. The project was quite difficult to implement (in fact, it was immediately failed). The only Brazilian who used his political connections to help Maeda was Gastao Gracie, whose family emigrated to Brazil from Scotland. The friendship that developed between the two led Maeda to decide to educate Gastao's eldest son, Carlos (1902-1994).
History of the Gracie family.
In 1801, George Gracie comes to Brazil from Scotland. One of George's grandsons, Gastao Gracie, was educated as a diplomat. He learned German and was fluent in seven more languages. But he decided to abandon his diplomatic career and instead went into business. At this time, Gastao lived in Belem, the State of Para in the Amazon Delta. Gastao had eight children, five of which were boys.
Carlos (the names of others Osvaldo, Gastao, George, Helio) was the eldest in the family. He was born on September 14, 1902. The first rivals of Carlos were the indigenous inhabitants of the Amazon River - crocodiles. He really enjoyed playing with alligators. At the age of 14, Carlos began to train under the guidance of Maeda and directed all his boundless energy to the study of the art of jujutsu. Could anyone have guessed this? “Of all the students who studied with Kom, and there were many of them, since he taught all over the world, only one was imbued with the depth and greatness of knowledge, becoming a jujutsu professional. It seems to me that my father from the very beginning felt the essence of what he studied. It is not surprising that he later created his own school, which has existed for 80 years, ”recalls Reyla (daughter of Carlos). Despite Maeda's constant travelling, Carlos stuck to his training regimen, beginning to practice with another of Maeda's students, local businessman Yaquinto Ferro. 
With the worsening economic situation, the father moves with his family to Rio de Janeiro in search of a better life, then to Sao Paolo, and finally to Belo Horizonte. At 22, Carlos began to earn money teaching jujutsu. “He looked not like a fighter, but like a chess player. He trained in police academies and since they knew nothing about him, he had to demonstrate the effectiveness of the fight he believed in. He proved that miracles can be done with the help of jujutsu and that he himself is an excellent fighter, ”Rilion said. In 1925, Carlos opens the first. In the thirties, it was always necessary to prove the effectiveness of jujutsu in battles. Rivals were searched for through newspaper ads (for example, "Do you want to have broken ribs? - Contact Carlos Gracie") This is how the formation of the martial art of mixed style began. Carlos had many fights, the most famous of which was in 1924 in San Paolo with the representative of the Japanese jujutsu Geo Omori. Fight without rules in Rio de Janeiro against the master of capoeiro Samuel and the last fight against Rufin in 1931. The influence that Carlos had on his children and siblings was so great that modern fans can hardly imagine it. He was a teacher, a strategist, a patron, an ideologue - all this Reyla wrote in her book. “He was the conscience of the family, its core, the starting point, in the 80s after each fight everyone got together in order to evaluate the performance of each, strengths and weaknesses. When he died, I felt that life had changed. He never hit a child, never scolded, never insulted opponents. He was the epitome of goodness. It's priceless "
The younger brother of Carlos Helio (01/10/1913-29/01/2009) was a very weak child. At the age of 14, he moved to Carlos, who taught jujutsu in Botafogo, a suburb of Rio. At first, he simply watched his brother teach jujutsu, as doctors advised him to refrain from any physical activity, including jujutsu training. One day, when Helio was 16 years old, one of Carlos's students came to class, but that was not there. Helio, remembering all the movements that his brother showed, offered to start training. When practice was over, Carlos showed up, apologizing for his absence. The student replied: “It's okay, I'm very happy with the training with Helio. If you don't mind, I'll continue training with him next time." Carlos agreed. So, by chance, Helio became a coach. He soon realized that the technique he had observed in Carlos's lessons was not so easy to perform. In a relentless search for answers to his questions to improve the effectiveness of jujutsu, Helio decided to move away from the traditional technique taught by his brothers. He began to change the movements in such a way that despite his weak body, he himself could perform them. From an early age, Helio, watching Carlos and perceiving him not only as a brother, but also as a father, strengthened the family tradition in organizing fights under the leadership of his older brother. Despite the fact that all Gracie were known as first-class fighters, it was Helio who stood out, weighing 140 pounds (63.5 kg). He was the first sports idol in Brazil. His impressive duels, demonstrating courage and courage, which are an example of impeccable technique and a special lifestyle, made him an ideal, a symbol of hope for an entire nation. One day, First Lady Darcy Vargas, recognizing a huge positive influence, invited Helio to the presidential palace and asked him to "save the Brazilian youth." Helio saved a friend from drowning in the Atlantic Ocean.
For this, he was awarded a medal for bravery. During his career, Helio had only 17 official fights, including fights against wrestling champions, Fred Ebert and Wladek Zbysko. When Masahiko Kimura, the world champion in jujutsu, arrived in Brazil, Helio had the opportunity to test his technique against the best athlete and challenged him. Surprisingly, such an eminent champion refused, explaining his refusal by the difference in weight (approximately 80 pounds - 36.3 kg) and the fact that Helio did not have a category, which means that he was not a worthy opponent. Kimura offered to have a duel with Kato, the second jujutsu fighter in the world. He weighed 40 pounds (18.14 kg) more than Helio. Helio fought Kato twice. He spent his first meeting with a broken rib, he received this injury during a training session a week earlier. Despite the serious risk and contraindications of Dr. Helio, the duel ended in a draw. A month later, during a re-fight, in front of an astonished crowd, Helio performed a choke hold, as a result of which Kato was unconscious for 6 minutes. This convincing victory put pressure on the great Kimura, who now had to defend the honor of Japan. The fight took place in Morocco, at the largest football stadium in the world. At the 13th minute, Kimura held his signature move - "Kimura Castle" (ude-garami). Carlos, fearing that Helio would not give up and get seriously injured, threw in the towel, stopping the meeting with the Japanese champion. Kimura was so impressed with Helio's performance that the day after the fight, he came to the Gracie Academy in Rio and invited Helio to study in Japan.
Helio and Waldemar
At the age of 42, Helio fought against his best student, 25-year-old Valdemar Santana. They met in a fight because Valdemar received a call from a fighter participating in fake fights (wrestling, catch - shows, pre-rehearsed, fake fights). Helio was against it. Waldemar said: “I have to earn money, my family lives in need. If you give me some money, I will not agree to this fight. But if I fight, you can be sure it won't be a catch, I'm going to beat him up." Helio says: "If you go to this fight, I will expel you from the academy." Santana still fought and won. After a fairly "lively" conversation between the two men, a fight was organized. The fight lasted 3 hours and 40 minutes until Carlos threw in the towel, thus setting the world record for the longest fight without a break.
Helio and Kato
The whole country was so admired by Helio's courage in this fight that his fame increased, and new students began to come to the academy, ready to share the teachings of their mentor. Later, when asked why he did not leave time to prepare for such a duel, he replied: “If you are attacked on the street, will you really beg the offender to wait 2 months while you tune in to the duel? Of course not. All my life I have taught weak people to use jujutsu techniques against stronger opponents at any moment. How can I say one thing and act another?
Many years later, during a TV show in Brazil, Helio was challenged by Master Capueiro. The fight was scheduled for a week later. 55-year-old Helio insisted that the meeting take place immediately, which absolutely shocked the younger and stronger opponent. The case of Helio Gracie and his brothers was continued by the next generations.
After the fight, the eldest son of Carlos, Carlson, told Valdemar that although he considers him his friend, and has nothing against it personally, it is necessary to meet in battle. Fought 6 times. Carlson won 4 times, 2 times was a draw.
Helio and Rorion
The eldest son of Helio, Rorion, had a kimono before he could walk. At the age of two, he was already performing in public. At an early age, he began to practice jujutsu under the guidance of his father. On the eve of Christmas 1969, Rorion came to the United States on vacation. After visiting relatives in New York and Washington, he moved to California in Los Angeles. After spending six months in America, Rorian returned to Brazil. In 1978, after divorcing his first wife and graduating as a lawyer from Rio de Janeiro State University, Rorian made the biggest decision of his life - he would return to America and make his family's wrestling style known throughout the world. Rorian went to Southern California and, thanks to his friends, got a job as an understudy in movies and TV shows. In addition, he covered his garage with mats and invited everyone to a free introductory lesson in jujutsu. If after that they brought friends, they got the right to an additional free lesson, ten friends - ten free lessons, etc. Often, not so much students came to him, but instructors in other martial arts, who challenged Rorian to fights. To the surprise of both students and instructors, Gracie's style has always been effective. His fame grew every day. Rorian remarried, from this marriage he had 5 more children.
Helio and Rorian
Royce Gracie 2003 Championship
By then, his brother Royce, who had come to America at age 17, was teaching with Rorian, helping him establish Gracie's jujutsu in the US. With connections to Hollywood, Rorian is involved in directing action sequences in films including Lethal Weapon, where he works with Mel Gibson and Rene Russo. Playboy magazine and the world's leading martial arts publications helped spread and popularize Gracie's jujutsu philosophy by publishing articles about Rorian, his family, and the fighting style they created. In 1988, Rorian released the first video course, Gracie Jujutsu in Action, where he demonstrated the benefits of this style. Trainings were held every day from 7 to 21, the number of students reached 120 people, 80 people were waiting for their turn. With the help of his brothers Rickson, Royler and Royce, in the summer of 1989 Rorian opened the Gracie Jujutsu Academy in Torrance, California. In 1993, Rorian and one of his students developed the idea of the most revolutionary event in the field of martial arts at that time - the Martial Arts Championship.
Thanks to the creative thinking of another student - John Milius, they also created a unique arena - the Octagon, although at that time Rickson was considered the champion in the family, Rorian chose Royce as the representative of the Gracie family to fight in the Octagon. He believed the lighter Royce would be a fitting example of the potential of their family style. Royce has won championships convincingly in the Octagon.
Since 1994, Japan began to hold championships in fights without rules (Vale Tudo). At these championships, Rickson performed from the Gracie family, becoming the champion (all fights were won by a clear victory). Thanks to the efforts of all members of the Gracie family and their students, Gracie's style of jujutsu revolutionized the world of martial arts. Today it is an undeniable fact that if you really need to prepare to repel a real street attack, then the jujutsu style developed by the Gracie family is optimal for this.
Today, the Gracie family has grown so much that its representatives can be found on any continent. Rorian, who lives in Southern California, has proven to the world that his family's legacy will not disappear. On any given day, one of his nine sons can be found at the Gracie Academy in Torrance, California, teaching and training in the Gracie tradition.
History shows that the changes that Gracie introduced to jujutsu created a style unrivaled in mixed martial arts tournaments. Over the years, from Carlos and Helio, their sons Carlson and Rolls, to the current generation of Rickson, Rorion, Royce, Royler, Ralph and Renzo (and many more), the Gracie and their students have been huge tournament successes. and in fights, which brought them worldwide fame.
The Gracie were involved in research to create the most effective fighting style. They had a huge supply of time, strong will, autonomy and the ability to be creative. For generations, they have accumulated information and knowledge, testing them in real combat. It really was a scientific study, the equal of which has not yet been observed in the history of martial arts.
Gracie did not engage in theoretical calculations, they were looking for opportunities to prove their conclusions in practice and changed or eliminated them depending on the effectiveness. They were not constrained by any ideological, moral, nationalistic or aesthetic framework, which allowed them to conduct an objective study and create the most effective martial art.
Each school of martial arts has its advantages and disadvantages. It is quite clear that they all strive to develop their strengths, but the attitude towards “weaknesses” depends on which path they have chosen for themselves.
Sports schools, for example, protect their weak spots with competition rules. That's why it turns out that it's worth changing the rules a little, and the champion, who won who knows how many fights according to the old rules, just flies out of the ring.
I remember what an incident happened when, a few years ago, two American boxing champions in middle and heavy weight took part in the Japanese fights without rules "Bushido". The middle one was “strangled” in the third second, and the heavy one himself gave up after five or six blows to the painful point on the thigh.
And here is the time to smoothly move on to modern fights without rules, and from them - to the fight, which is simply created for victories according to the rules of these same fights without rules. Meet - jujutsu, the representative of which sensationally won (when he was too carried away by finishing him off).
Gracie is a wealthy Brazilian family, at the beginning of the 20th century, its head, Gastao Gracie, was a politician who supported Japanese emigrants (of whom there were many in Latin America at that time). This is how he met Maeda Mitsuyo (b. 1880), one of the strongest judo masters of the Kodokan.
It is worth telling more about this person. The master traveled all over the world and, proving the superiority of judo, challenged wrestlers, boxers and just street fighters of the Old and New Worlds, as well as Chinese wushu masters. Of the thousands of fights, according to his biographers, Maeda lost two. One - technically - during the battle according to the rules of Greco-Roman wrestling, the Japanese touched the ground with his shoulder blades during the reception (apparently after numerous fights according to various rules and without them, the master stopped paying much attention to them and simply did not take into account that touching with his back is a pure loss ). And the second (and the only fight he really lost) took place in the final of the World Championship in the same Greco-Roman wrestling, when Maeda met with Jim Edison - a wrestler 35 cm taller and almost twice as heavy as him.
In other words, Maeda was a real star of fights without rules, when there were no such fights yet. And when he arrived in Brazil, the government of this country (at the suggestion of the same Gastao Gracie) gave the master 700,000 acres of land as a sign of respect.
By that time, Maeda had already significantly changed the original judo technique, because most of the wrestlers with whom he had to fight did not wear a kimono and preferred to perform bare-chested, which excluded throws with a grab by the collar or sleeve. And the victory usually went to the one who first "knocked out" his opponent, but the deductions did not bring victory.
In fights with boxers, the most effective, according to the master, was to evade the first blows, quickly get close, and then continue the fight in the most convenient for him (and the most inconvenient for the boxers) close contact. Simply put, no matter what opponent Maeda faced, he transferred the fight to the ground and completed the matter with a choke or a painful hold.
In 1914, the master began teaching his style of judo (which, due to a little confusion, the Brazilians called by the name of the forerunners of judo - jujutsu or jiu-jitsu) to Gastão's 11-year-old eldest son, Carlos Gracie, who was soon joined by his other brothers. Close contact, Maeda taught, is the safest position for a wrestler and the quickest route to victory. So, unlike the classic Kodokan judo, in the style of Maeda, the main thing was not throws, but knocking down to the floor, painful holds and suffocations.
After 11 years, young Carlos opens his own Jujutsu Academy. Developing Maeda's ideas, he came to the conclusion that most fights end on the ground. This means that you should not rely on strikes, relegating them to the role of diverting attention, provoking and finishing off an enemy who has been defeated to the ground.
Gracie recommended using his own mistakes against the opponent. When he fails after a blow or loses his balance a little - immediately approach, hold down with a grip and overturn on the floor. There, it is advisable to sit on top of the chest and finish off with punches to the head or, if he turned out to be face down, choke him. (Which we often, as well as other developments of Gracie, see in fights without rules).
The main difference between the Gracie style and its Japanese forerunner was that wrestlers try to carry out all the throws from the dense coverage of the enemy, leaving no room for strikes.
The new wrestling proved to be excellent in the pre-war years, when the Gracie won (or sometimes reduced to a draw) in fights with the strongest wrestlers and boxers in Latin America and the United States. There was nothing surprising in this, for the Gracie wrestlers' arsenal was most effective where all their opponents were most helpless (what a sight could be more pitiful than a boxer caught in a tight grip by a wrestler, or a wrestler who was pinned to the ground and showered with blows ?)
And so, having received worldwide recognition, in 1951 the Gracie clan challenged the Kodokan judo. The Japanese did not take long to wait, and soon a representative delegation headed by the 13-time Japanese champion Kimura Masahiko (7th dan) arrived in Rio de Janeiro.
In the battle, all wrestling techniques were allowed, victory was awarded in the event of surrender or “turning off” the opponent, the time of the duel was unlimited. This led to the injury of Helio Gracie during his fight with the Japanese champion. Kimura, who absolutely dominated the stance, made a throw and began to hold Helio on the ground. According to the rules of judo, it would have been a clear victory, but the Brazilian did not give up, tried to escape from a hopeless situation, and as a result, the Japanese broke his left arm at the elbow. After that, Gracie's seconds threw in the towel, admitting defeat (which Helio himself even then refused to admit).
What can be concluded from this story? On the one hand, wrestling is maximally adapted to the rules of “fights without rules”. But if Helio had met the judo master not on the mat, but simply on the street, then after the first throw with his head on the asphalt, he would have had no choice but to admit defeat by “switching off”. Yes, even in a real street fight (without rules), with at least two attackers (not to mention several), whom judo, by the way, recommends throwing one after the other, remaining on their feet and ready to defend themselves from the next opponent, Gracie's style is absolutely not effective. Well, the friends of the strangled person on the ground will not wait for the wrestler to free himself from his tight contact and switch to them.
On the other hand, the family did not have the task of creating a martial art, and they did an excellent job with the creation of a new wrestling.
History of the Gracie family.
In 1801, George Gracie comes to Brazil from Scotland. One of George's grandsons, Gastao Gracie, was educated as a diplomat. He learned German and was fluent in seven more languages. But he decided to abandon his diplomatic career and instead went into business. At this time, Gastao lived in Belem, the State of Para in the Amazon Delta. Gastao had eight children, five of which were boys.
Carlos Gracie
Carlos (the names of others Osvaldo, Gastao, George, Helio) was the eldest in the family. He was born on September 14, 1902. The first rivals of Carlos were the indigenous inhabitants of the Amazon River - crocodiles. He really enjoyed playing with alligators. At the age of 14, Carlos began to train under the guidance of Maeda and directed all his boundless energy to the study of the art of jujutsu. Could anyone have guessed this?
“Of all the students who studied with Kom, and there were many of them, since he taught all over the world, only one was imbued with the depth and greatness of knowledge, becoming a jujutsu professional. It seems to me that my father from the very beginning felt the essence of what he studied. It is not surprising that he subsequently created his own school, which has existed for 80 years, ”recalls Reyla (daughter of Carlos).
Despite Maeda's constant travelling, Carlos stuck to his training regimen, beginning to practice with another of Maeda's students, local businessman Yaquinto Ferro.
With the worsening economic situation, the father moves with his family to Rio de Janeiro in search of a better life, then to Sao Paolo, and finally to Belo Horizonte.
At 22, Carlos began to earn money teaching jujutsu. “He looked not like a fighter, but like a chess player. He trained in police academies and since they knew nothing about him, he had to demonstrate the effectiveness of the fight he believed in. He proved that miracles can be done with jujutsu and that he himself is an excellent fighter,” Rilion said.
In 1925, Carlos opens the first jujutsu academy. In the thirties, it was always necessary to prove the effectiveness of jujutsu in battles. Rivals were searched for through newspaper ads (for example, “Want to have broken ribs? - Contact Carlos Gracie”) This is how the mixed martial art was formed. Carlos had many fights, the most famous of which was in 1924 in San Paolo with the representative of the Japanese jujutsu Geo Omori. Fight without rules in Rio de Janeiro against the master of capoeiro Samuel and the last fight against Rufin in 1931.
The influence that Carlos had on his children and siblings was so great that modern fans can hardly imagine it. He was a teacher, a strategist, a patron, an ideologue - all this Reyla wrote in her book. “He was the conscience of the family, its core, the starting point, in the 80s after each fight everyone got together in order to evaluate the performance of each, strengths and weaknesses. When he died, I felt that life had changed. He never hit a child, never scolded, never insulted opponents. He was the epitome of goodness. It's priceless "
The younger brother of Carlos Helio (01/10/1913-29/01/2009) was a very weak child. At the age of 14, he moved to Carlos, who taught jujutsu in Botafogo, a suburb of Rio. At first, he simply watched his brother teach jujutsu, as doctors advised him to refrain from any physical activity, including jujutsu training.
One day, when Helio was 16 years old, one of Carlos's students came to class, but that was not there. Helio, remembering all the movements that his brother showed, offered to start training. When practice was over, Carlos showed up, apologizing for his absence. The student replied: “It's okay, I'm very happy with the training with Helio. If you don't mind, I'll continue training with him next time." Carlos agreed. So, by chance, Helio became a coach. He soon realized that the technique he had observed in Carlos's lessons was not so easy to perform. In a relentless search for answers to his questions to improve the effectiveness of jujutsu, Helio decided to move away from the traditional technique taught by his brothers. He began to change the movements in such a way that despite his weak body, he himself could perform them. From an early age, Helio, watching Carlos and perceiving him not only as a brother, but also as a father, strengthened the family tradition in organizing fights under the leadership of his older brother. Despite the fact that all Gracie were known as first-class fighters, it was Helio who stood out, weighing 140 pounds (63.5 kg). He was the first sports idol in Brazil. His impressive duels, demonstrating courage and courage, which are an example of impeccable technique and a special lifestyle, made him an ideal, a symbol of hope for an entire nation.
One day, the First Lady - Darcy Vargas, recognizing a huge positive influence, invited Helio to the presidential palace and asked him to "save the Brazilian youth."
Helio saved a friend from drowning in the Atlantic Ocean.
For this, he was awarded a medal for bravery.
During his career, Helio had only 17 official fights, including fights against wrestling champions, Fred Ebert and Wladek Zbysko.
When Masahiko Kimura, the world champion in jujutsu, arrived in Brazil, Helio had the opportunity to test his technique against the best athlete and challenged him.
Surprisingly, such an eminent champion refused, explaining his refusal by the difference in weight (approximately 80 pounds - 36.3 kg) and the fact that Helio did not have a category, which means that he was not a worthy opponent.
Kimura offered to have a duel with Kato, the second jujutsu fighter in the world. He weighed 40 pounds (18.14 kg) more than Helio.
Helio fought Kato twice. He spent his first meeting with a broken rib, he received this injury during a training session a week earlier. Despite the serious risk and contraindications of Dr. Helio, the duel ended in a draw. A month later, during a re-fight, in front of an astonished crowd, Helio performed a choke hold, as a result of which Kato was unconscious for 6 minutes. This convincing victory put pressure on the great Kimura, who now had to defend the honor of Japan.
The fight took place in Morocco, at the largest football stadium in the world. At the 13th minute, Kimura held his signature move - "Kimura Castle" (ude-garami). Carlos, fearing that Helio would not give up and get seriously injured, threw in the towel, stopping the meeting with the Japanese champion.
Kimura was so impressed with Helio's performance that the day after the fight, he came to the Gracie Academy in Rio and invited Helio to study in Japan.
Helio and Waldemar
At the age of 42, Helio fought against his best student, 25-year-old Valdemar Santana. They met in a fight because Valdemar received a challenge from a fighter participating in fake fights (wrestling, catch shows, pre-rehearsed, fake fights). Helio was against it. Waldemar said: “I have to earn money, my family lives in need. If you give me some money, I will not agree to this fight. But if I fight, you can be sure it won't be a catch, I'm going to beat him up." Helio says: "If you go to this fight, I will expel you from the academy."
Santana still fought and won. After a fairly "lively" conversation between the two men, a fight was organized. The fight lasted 3 hours and 40 minutes until Carlos threw in the towel, thus setting the world record for the longest fight without a break.
Helio and Kato
The whole country was so admired by Helio's courage in this fight that his fame increased, and new students began to come to the academy, ready to share the teachings of their mentor. Later, when asked why he did not leave time to prepare for such a duel, he replied: “If you are attacked on the street, will you really beg the offender to wait 2 months while you tune in to the duel? Of course not. All my life I have taught weak people to use jujutsu techniques against stronger opponents at any moment. How can I say one thing and act another?
Many years later, during a TV show in Brazil, Helio was challenged by Capueiro master Valdemar Santana. The fight was scheduled for a week later. 55-year-old Helio insisted that the meeting take place immediately, which absolutely shocked the younger and stronger opponent.
Helio lost the fight.
After the fight, the eldest son of Carlos, Carlson, told Valdemar that although he considers him his friend, and has nothing against it personally, it is necessary to meet in battle.
Carlson and Santana.
Fought 6 times. Carlson won 4 times, 2 times was a draw.
Carlson
Rorion Gracie
Helio and Rorion
The eldest son of Helio, Rorion, had a kimono before he could walk. At the age of two, he was already performing in public. At an early age, he began to practice jujutsu under the guidance of his father.
On the eve of Christmas 1969, Rorion came to the United States on vacation. After visiting relatives in New York and Washington, he moved to California in Los Angeles. After spending six months in America, Rorian returned to Brazil. In 1978, after divorcing his first wife and graduating as a lawyer from Rio de Janeiro State University, Rorian made the biggest decision of his life - he would return to America and make his family's wrestling style known throughout the world.
Rorian went to Southern California and, thanks to his friends, got a job as an understudy in movies and TV shows. In addition, he covered his garage with mats and invited everyone to a free introductory lesson in jujutsu. If after that they brought friends, they got the right to an additional free lesson, ten friends - ten free lessons, etc. Often, not so much students came to him, but instructors in other martial arts, who challenged Rorian to fights. To the surprise of both students and instructors, Gracie's style has always been effective. His fame grew every day. Rorian remarried, from this marriage he had 5 more children.
Royce Gracie 2003 Championship
By then, his brother Royce, who had come to America at age 17, was teaching with Rorian, helping him establish Gracie's jujutsu in the US.
With connections to Hollywood, Rorian is involved in directing action sequences in films including Lethal Weapon, where he works with Mel Gibson and Rene Russo.
Playboy magazine and the world's leading martial arts publications helped spread and popularize Gracie's jujutsu philosophy by publishing articles about Rorian, his family, and the fighting style they created.
In 1988, Rorian released the first video course, Gracie Jujutsu in Action, where he demonstrated the benefits of this style. Trainings were held every day from 7 to 21, the number of students reached 120 people, 80 people were waiting for their turn.
With the participation of his brothers - Rickson, Royler and Royce - in the summer of 1989, Rorian opened the Gracie Jujutsu Academy in Torrance, California. In 1993, Rorian and one of his students developed the idea of the most revolutionary event in the field of martial arts at that time - the Martial Arts Championship.
Thanks to the creative thinking of another student - John Milius, they also created a unique arena - the Octagon, although at that time Rickson was considered the champion in the family, Rorian chose Royce as the representative of the Gracie family to fight in the Octagon. He believed the lighter Royce would be a fitting example of the potential of their family style.
Royce has won championships convincingly in the Octagon.
Royce Gracie
Since 1994, Japan began to hold championships in fights without rules (Vale Tudo). At these championships, Rickson performed from the Gracie family, becoming the champion (all fights were won by a clear victory). Thanks to the efforts of all members of the Gracie family and their students, Gracie's style of jujutsu revolutionized the world of martial arts. Today it is an undeniable fact that if you really need to prepare to repel a real street attack, then the jujutsu style developed by the Gracie family is optimal for this.
Rickson
Today, the Gracie family has grown so much that its representatives can be found on any continent. Rorian, who lives in Southern California, has proven to the world that his family's legacy will not disappear. On any given day, one of his nine sons can be found at the Gracie Academy in Torrance, California, teaching and training in the Gracie tradition.
History shows that the changes that Gracie introduced to jujutsu created a style unrivaled in mixed martial arts tournaments. Over the years, from Carlos and Helio, their sons Carlson and Rolls, to the current generation of Rickson, Rorion, Royce, Royler, Ralph and Renzo (and many more), the Gracie and their students have been huge tournament successes. and in fights, which brought them worldwide fame.
The Gracie were involved in research to create the most effective fighting style. They had a huge supply of time, strong will, autonomy and the ability to be creative. For generations, they have accumulated information and knowledge, testing them in real combat. It really was a scientific study, the equal of which has not yet been observed in the history of martial arts.
Gracie did not engage in theoretical calculations, they were looking for opportunities to prove their conclusions in practice and changed or eliminated them depending on the effectiveness. They were not constrained by any ideological, moral, nationalistic or aesthetic framework, which allowed them to conduct an objective study and create the most effective martial art.
Royce Gracie. I present to you a large detailed biography of the great martial arts master. The story of one of the most influential MMA fighters.
Childhood and youth
Royce Gracie was born December 12, 1966 in Rio de Janeiro, in a large family of 9 children. For Brazilian boys, there were only 2 ways of development: football and martial arts. Royce's father, Elihu Gracie, was the founder of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
From the age of three, the boy trained in his father's gym, under the supervision of his older brothers - Rorion, Relson, Rickson, Royler.
Royce started competing at the age of 8. His rivals were older by a year or two. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu belt rules prevented Gracie from claiming a black belt until she was 18 years old. Already at the age of 14, Royce helped his father and brothers train young fighters. He had no problem defeating older black belt guys.
One of Royce's older brothers, Rorion, with the permission of his father, left his native Brazil. The young man got excited about the idea of developing jiu-jitsu in the United States. Rorion traveled to California several times. The master signed a contract with directors and producers of action films. He played the role of understudies for the main characters. Rorion rented a garage, covered it with mats and began to teach everyone the basics of jiu-jitsu. The popularity of the new type of martial arts grew. Rorion laid a solid foundation for the education of the school - " Gracie Academy"in the United States.
Royce was inspired by his brother's successes. He was looking forward to reaching the age of 18 to go to conquer America. At 16, he received a blue belt. The father went against the rules of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation. Elihu Gracie presented his 17-year-old son with a black belt, six months before reaching adulthood. Royce defeated all possible opponents. However, by the will of fate, after receiving the black belt, the young man lost two bouts at the national championship. Conquest of America
In 1984, Royce went to California. By that time, his brother - Rorion received several exclusive contracts with the Hollywood studio. He worked on staging action scenes in the famous film - " Deadly weapon", taught jiu-jitsu to the main characters - Mel Gibson and Rene Russo. Rorion's photo was published in famous magazines. A documentary film was made about his family. Popularization of Brazilian jiu-jitsu in California was in full swing.
Royce devoted himself entirely to coaching. In 1988 he released his first video course - " Jiu-Jitsu Gracie in action". Video sales exceeded 100 thousand copies. The younger Gracie trained show business stars and ordinary people daily from 7 to 21. The number of his students grew with each month of classes. In 1989, brothers Royler and Rickson came to his aid.
In the summer of 1989, the brothers, with the money they earned, opened " Gracie Academy" in the city of Torrance, California. In 1993, Rorion realized the idea of holding the World Martial Arts Championship. The Gracie clan planned to gather mixed martial artists from all over the world to find out whose school is the strongest.
UFC victories and the peak of fame
The first tournaments were held in Japan. Rickson Gracie became the undisputed champion. Royce did not take part in the tournament. He continued to teach the basics of Jiu-Jitsu" cream"American society. One of his students was an enterprising businessman - Art Davey. Davey learned from Royce about holding tournaments in Japan and decided to organize similar competitions in the USA. Rorion and Royce liked this idea. Art agreed to cooperate with cable television. In the shortest possible time the rules of the tournament were developed and the famous cage - the octagon - was built.This is how The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was born - the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Royce became the winner of 1, 2 and 4 UFC tournaments in the open weight category. At UFC 3, he was injured in the semi-finals and was unable to compete in the final. The younger Gracie was recognized as the best fighter in 1993 and 1994. He held many records:
- Most wins in one night - four
- Most UFC tournaments won - three
- First UFC Tournament Winner
- First name in the UFC Hall of Fame
- Participant in the longest fight in UFC history (UFC 5) - 36 minutes
- Most submission wins in the UFC - eleven
The younger Gracie has competed in Pride tournaments ( Participant in the longest fight in Pride history (Pride 2000 Grand Prix Final vs. Kazushi Sakuraba) - 90 minutes). Royce has competed in K1 and Dynamite tournaments. To improve his striking technique, he went to train several times in Thailand - the birthplace of Thai boxing.
In 2002, he bought a majority stake in the UFC using the Zuffa subsidiary. A friend of Lorenzo was appointed president -. The rules of the battle, the regulations of the tournaments were changed, and adjustments were made to the ammunition of the fighters. The Gracie brothers have decided to leave the UFC.
Royce returned to the UFC in 2006. His fight against the champion - Matt Hughes aroused incredible interest among the audience. Matt won by technical knockout in the fifth minute of the first round. Gracie wanted a rematch but never got a rematch.
In 2007, his MMA performances were interrupted due to a doping scandal. Nandrolone was found in Royce's blood. Gracie was fined $2,500 and stripped of his fighting license for 1 year. This incident was the beginning of the UFC's cooperation with the Athletic Commission and regular testing of fighters. Due to the scandal and long proceedings, Gresi's career came to an end.
Roy got rich. He got married in 2005. Wife - Marianne. The couple has 3 sons - Khonri, Horn and Haydon and a daughter - Harianna. Gracie built a large mansion in Southern California, with a total area of 0.6 miles. Royce owns a chain of 7 halls" Gracie Academy"and is a shareholder of the first family club. After the death of Elihu Gracie Royce was awarded the coral belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which belonged to his father. This award is considered the highest degree of martial art.