Rickson Gracie, a former mixed martial artist, holds a 9th-degree red belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Fans regard him as one of the hardest people in the world and the best Gracie family fighter in the 1980s and 1990s.
Early Life & Age
Rickson was born on November 21, 1958, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Helio Gracie, a well-known Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. In addition, by 2022, he will be 66 years old.
Helio Gracie, a well-known Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, gave birth to Rickson on November 21, 1958, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Rickson had eight siblings at the time of his birth: Rorion, Relson, Rolker, Royler, Royce, Robin, Rerika, and Ricci.
In addition, the third kid in the family, Rickson, has half-siblings named Rolker, Royler, Royce, and Robin. Helio gave Rickson the order to represent the family and its martial arts history because he had already shown early signs of maturing into a dedicated warrior.
Rickson began competing at the incredibly young age of four after receiving the necessary training. Rickson was a skilled jiu-jitsu martial artist when he was 15 years old.
He received the black belt at the age of 18. At the age of 20, Rickson defeated the mixed martial artist Rei Zulu, the father of Zuluzinho, and the Brazilian fighter Vale Tudo to claim victory in his debut match. Five years later, when the two fight again, Rickson wins.
Rickson always takes pride in not signing up for any martial arts training courses to surpass the best. Instead, he solely practiced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu since he didn’t want to compete in mixed martial arts. As a result, Rickson was one of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s earliest 8th-degree black and red belts. He presently holds a red belt in the ninth degree.
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Rickson Gracie Siblings
The Gracie martial arts style of self-defense Helio Gracie and his brothers Oswaldo, Gastao Jr., George, and Carlos Gracie, co-founded and developed Jiu-Jitsu, also referred to as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
The Gracie family popularized the Jiu-Jitsu martial art by holding competitions at their family’s training locations in Rio de Janeiro. But Rickson, his brothers, and his family stand to gain the most from its notoriety.
Due to their success in the discipline, many people began to practice jiu-jitsu, including MMA fighters, Hollywood stars, renowned chefs, and suburban kids looking for an after-school pastime.
Career & First Fight
Rickson asserts that his winning percentage in fights is 410 to 0. However, there is some disagreement over this distinction. For example, Rickson allegedly fell to Dr. Ron Tripp in a Sambo match in Oklahoma City at the start of the 1990s.
Furthermore, it is difficult to verify his 400+ victories because Gracie won them in jiu-jitsu competitions, street battles, and NHB matches.
He once defeated 25 opponents in a single day, breaking a California record. Hugo Duarte, the Luta Livre champion, was one of his prominent competitors. He forced Duarte into a spot face-off on a Rio de Janeiro beach sand and ultimately won the match.
In a 50-minute match that resulted in a draw, Rickson also engaged in combat with Eugenio Tadeu, another Luta Livre competitor. Then Rickson left Brazil and headed to the US.
In addition to competing in fights, Rickson is a key figure in running the Rickson Academy, where he teaches methods for growth and healing.
Casemiro “Rei Zulu” Nascimento Martins, a renowned Brazilian professional wrestler and fighter, challenged Rickson Gracie in a high-profile encounter in Brasilia when he was 21. Rei Zulu was a novice martial artist who was limited to performing the tarracá style of wrestling, considered an indigenous sport.
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Despite this, he claimed to be 270-0 and weighed 230 pounds at the time. Gracie had also previously practiced Vale Tudo. Nevertheless, Gracie overcame his shortcomings and gained instant popularity when he used a rear-naked choke to defeat Zulu in the third round.
Choke Documentary on Rickson Gracie
Rickson Gracie and two other boxers, Todd Hays and Koichiro Kimura, were featured in the movie Choke. The documentary followed Gracie and two other contestants as they prepared for and participated in the 1995 Vale Tudo Japan competition.
Robert Goodman oversaw its publication in 1995. In addition, Rickson played Bruce Banner’s martial arts instructor in the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk. He also made an appearance in the Fight Science episode of National Geographic.
Rickson Gracie Wife & Son
Rickson Gracie’s wife is Cassia Gracie; they had four children; Rockson Gracie (deceased), Kauan, Kaulin, and Kron Gracie are his four children.
Rickson Gracie’s oldest son, Rockson, overdosed on heroin in 2000, shortly after moving to New York to seek a modeling career. At the time, Rickson was scheduled to compete against famed Japanese MMA fighter Kazushi Sakuraba, but he did not show up.
Rickson also announced his intention to divorce his first spouse around the time of his son’s death. After that, he went back to Brazil and battled hopelessness. In the end, he was able to find his second wife and move on from the death of his son.
Net Worth
The Gracie family is chiefly responsible for the four billion dollar Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and the Brazilian jiu-jitsu schools that we may find in strip malls throughout America.
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