Helio Gracie–patriarch of the legendary Gracie MMA family–died earlier this year in Rio De Janeiro at age 95. His influence on martial arts, and even more so the sport that is known known as mixed martial arts, is staggering. The Gracie family name will forever be synonymous with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, MMA and the UFC due to the accomplishments of Helio Gracie and his progeny.
Helio Gracie began studying martial arts early in life, and by the age of 16 had already begun to teach judo in his native Brazil. While Helio had no problem mastering the theoretical aspects of judo, he found that many of its techniques required a great deal of brute strength which made them less effective for a smaller fighter such as himself. Along with his brother Carlos, he began to adapt many of judos techniques to make them more reliant on leverage rather than strength. This experimentation led to the creation of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) which is often referred to as Gracie Jiu-Jitsu in his honor.
Gracie also had a professional fighting career of his own, taking on champions from other fighting disciplines in an early version of modern MMA. These bouts were grueling, unregulated affairs with rules that were often made up as they went along and time limits that seem barbaric by todays standards. By his own recollection, he had 15 fights against the top fighters of his day. These included pro wrestlers, boxers and other martial arts specialists.
Gracie’s most famous opponent was against legendary Japanese judoka Masahiko Kimura. Gracie fought bravely in a losing cause, and ironically may have enhanced his reputation in defeat. He refused to submit to a reverse arm bar (the move that is now known as a ‚kimura‘ in honor of its inventor), and the fight ended after his brother Carlos threw in the towel after Helio’s arm had been broken.
Gracie’s greatest impact, however, may have been through his progeny which is an important part of Brazilian sports and mixed martial arts even today. Royce Gracie is well known as the first UFC superstar, while sons Rickson Royler, Renzo have also achieved considerable fame in professional MMA. At the time of his death, Helio Gracie was a 6th Dan Judo black belt and the only living 10th degree master of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Gracie died at age 95, after suffering stomach problems though the cause of his death was officially listed as ’natural causes‘. His last words are classic and highly fitting for a man who gave so much to martial arts and fighting sports:
Gracie’s last words are as follows:“I created a flag from the sports dignity. I oversee the name of my family with affection and nerves of blood.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
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