Rickson Gracie
Brazilian fighter, son of Hélio Gracie, undefeated in MMA and vale tudo with an 11-0 record, winner of Vale Tudo Japan 1994 and 1995 and a 9th-degree red belt in BJJ.
Quick Facts
BrazilBiography
Rickson Gracie is a Brazilian vale tudo and MMA fighter and a master of Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ). According to English Wikipedia, he was born on 21 November 1959 in Rio de Janeiro; the year 1958 also appears, which we have not been able to verify. He is the son of Hélio Gracie and the brother of Rorion and Relson Gracie.
He trained under his father Hélio and Rolls Gracie. He received his black belt in BJJ in 1977 at the age of 18. In judo he holds a 1st dan, obtained under Georges Mehdi.
In professional MMA and vale tudo bouts he is undefeated with an 11-0 record from 1980, 1984 and 1994–2000; English sources give 9 submissions and 2 TKOs, Portuguese sources all 11 wins by submission. In 1980 he defeated Rei Zulu in Brasília with a rear choke, and in the 1984 rematch at Maracanazinho again with a choke. He won the Vale Tudo Japan tournaments of 1994 and 1995, defeating Yuki Nakai in the 1995 final; the documentary Choke was made about the 1995 tournament. At Pride 1 in October 1997, in front of 47,860 spectators in the Tokyo Dome, he defeated Nobuhiko Takada with an armbar, and he beat him again at Pride 4 in 1998. In May 2000 he defeated Masakatsu Funaki by technical submission in a match with special rules prohibiting elbows and headbutts. According to Portuguese sources, he officially ended his career in 2008.
His 9th-degree red belt was awarded to him in July 2017 by his brother Rorion. In November 2014 he was inducted into the Legends of MMA Hall of Fame. According to Portuguese sources, in 2012 he created the event Mestre do Combate, and in August 2026 he founded the organisation Rickson Gracie United.
Teachers, students and family
Associated Martial Arts
Ranks and titles
- 9th beltRed belt · Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu · 2017
Achievements and honours
- Legends of MMA Hall of FameHall of Fame · 2014
Filmography
A screen role does not mean the person actually practises the art — that is listed above.