Renzo Gracie facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Renzo Gracie
Born	(1967-03-11) March 11, 1967 (age 58) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Residence	Holmdel Township, New Jersey, U.S.
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight	171 lb (78 kg; 12 st 3 lb)
Division	Welterweight Middleweight
Reach	76 in (193 cm)
Style	Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Fighting out of	New York City, U.S.
Team	Renzo Gracie Academy
Rank	7th degree coral belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Years active	1992–2018
Mixed martial arts record
Total	23
Wins	14
By knockout	2
By submission	8
By decision	3
By disqualification	1
Losses	7
By knockout	2
By submission	1
By decision	4
Draws	1
No contests	1
Other information
Spouse	Cristina Gracie
Children	3
Notable relatives	Gracie family
Notable students	Matt Serra, Ricardo Almeida, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Georges St-Pierre, Rolles Gracie, Chris Weidman, Kyra Gracie, Frankie Edgar, Roy Nelson, Neiman Gracie, Gunnar Nelson, Harley Flanagan, Guy Richie, Ralph Gracie, Ryan Gracie and John Danaher.
Medal record Submission Wrestling ADCC World Championship Gold 2000 Abu Dhabi -77kg Gold 1998 Abu Dhabi 77kg Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Copa Atlântico Sul Championship Gold 1988 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Gold 1989 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Gold 1990 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Gold 1991 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Gold 1994 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Renzo Gracie (born March 11, 1967) is a famous Brazilian mixed martial artist and a highly ranked Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach. He holds a 7th degree coral belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which is a very high honor. Renzo is part of the well-known Gracie family, who are famous for creating Gracie jiu-jitsu. He is the grandson of Carlos Gracie, one of the founders of this martial art.

By the time he was 20, Renzo Gracie had already won many Brazilian jiu-jitsu championships in Brazil. In mixed martial arts (MMA), he competed in major events like the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Pride Fighting Championships, and K-1. Renzo is also known for training many top fighters in North America. Some of his famous students include Georges St-Pierre, Frankie Edgar, and Chris Weidman. He even trained Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is the President of the United Arab Emirates.

A 2008 documentary film called Renzo Gracie: Legacy shows his big impact on Brazilian jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts over ten years. It explains how the sport grew from its early days to become popular in Japan and America. Because of his achievements, Renzo Gracie was added to the ADCC Hall of Fame in 2022. In 2023, he received his special coral belt in Abu Dhabi from Rickson Gracie.

Renzo Gracie's Fighting Career

Renzo Gracie started his fighting journey in Brazil in a style called vale tudo. His first fight was against a kickboxer named Luiz Augusto Alvareda, whom he defeated using a rear naked choke. After this match, he moved to the United States to teach Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

World Combat Championships

In October 1995, Gracie competed in the World Combat Championships. This event had two separate tournaments: one for fighters who mostly strike (like boxers) and one for grapplers (like jiu-jitsu fighters). Renzo was in the grappling tournament.

His first opponent was a judoka named Ben Spijkers. Renzo won by choking him. Next, he fought Phil Benedict, a striker. Even though he got hit hard, Renzo took Benedict to the ground and won. In the finals, Renzo faced kickboxer James Warring and won quickly with a neck crank.

Pentagon Combat Incident

Renzo Gracie (on the ground with white trunks) fights Eugenio Tadeu at Pentagon Combat

On September 22, 1997, Renzo Gracie fought in an MMA event called Pentagon Combat. His opponent was Eugenio Tadeu, a fighter from a rival martial art called luta livre. This made the match very exciting and tense for the fans.

During the fight, the audience became very rowdy. People started pushing past security and yelling at the fighters. Some even tried to climb the fence. The situation got out of control, and a large fight broke out among the spectators. This event was so chaotic that mixed martial arts was banned in Rio de Janeiro for ten years.

Fighting in Pride Championships

Renzo Gracie first fought in Pride Fighting Championships at their very first event, Pride 1. He fought a Japanese judo fighter named Akira Shoji. Renzo controlled most of the match, trying many submission moves like armbars and rear naked chokes. However, he couldn't finish the fight, so it ended in a draw after thirty minutes.

His first win in Pride was at the next event, Pride 2, against Sanae Kikuta. This fight had special rules with many ten-minute rounds. It lasted almost an hour! In the sixth round, Renzo finally got a guillotine choke and made Kikuta give up.

Later, at Pride 8, Renzo fought professional wrestler Alexander Otsuka. Renzo tried many submission moves, like a triangle choke and a guillotine choke. Even though Otsuka defended well, Renzo won the match by decision.

Competing in Rings

Renzo also fought in another big promotion called Fighting Network Rings. In the King of Kings tournament, he quickly defeated Wataru Sakata with an armbar. He then beat former UFC Heavyweight Champion Maurice Smith with a triangle choke.

In the quarterfinals, Renzo faced Kiyoshi Tamura. Tamura was able to control the fight on the ground and won by decision, which eliminated Renzo from the tournament.

Return to Pride and Big Fights

Renzo Gracie returned to Pride to fight Kazushi Sakuraba. Sakuraba was known as "The Gracie Hunter" because he had beaten other members of Renzo's family. In their fight, Sakuraba managed to grab Renzo's arm and twist it with a Kimura lock, which dislocated Renzo's arm and stopped the fight. After the match, Renzo showed great sportsmanship by saying Sakuraba was the better fighter. Years later, Renzo even called Sakuraba "his hero."

Next, Renzo fought Dan Henderson at Pride 13. Henderson used his strong wrestling skills and punches to knock Renzo out in the first round. This was the first time a Gracie fighter had been knocked out. Renzo then bounced back with a win against Michiyoshi Ohara.

In 2002, Renzo fought Shungo Oyama. Oyama tried to annoy Renzo during the match. The fight went to the judges, and Oyama won by decision. Renzo was not happy with this result. His last fight for Pride was in 2003 against Carlos Newton. It was a close fight with many submission attempts, but Newton won by a split decision.

IFL and EliteXC

In 2006, Renzo joined the International Fight League (IFL). He quickly won his first fight against Pat Miletich with a guillotine choke. He then had a rematch with Carlos Newton. It was another very close fight, and Renzo won by a split decision. Some people, including Renzo himself, thought Newton might have won that one.

In 2007, Renzo fought Frank Shamrock in the EliteXC promotion. Renzo took Shamrock to the ground, but Shamrock was disqualified for hitting Renzo illegally with knees to the back of his head.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

After a three-year break, Renzo Gracie signed with the UFC in 2009. He fought former UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes in 2010. Hughes landed many leg kicks and punches, eventually winning by TKO in the third round.

ONE Championship

In 2018, Renzo Gracie came out of retirement to fight Yuki Kondo at ONE Championship: Reign of Kings. He won the fight in the second round using a rear-naked choke submission.

Other Activities

Renzo Gracie has also been a coach for a team called the New York Pitbulls in the International Fight League.

He is the main instructor at the Renzo Gracie Academy in New York City. Many famous jiu-jitsu and MMA fighters have trained there with Renzo.

Renzo has also written two books about jiu-jitsu: "Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory and Technique" with his cousin Royler Gracie, and "Mastering Jujitsu" with his training partner John Danaher. He has also been the personal jiu-jitsu teacher for Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, since 1993.

Submission Grappling Career

On November 22, 2014, Renzo Gracie had a grappling match against Kazushi Sakuraba at Metamoris V. The match ended in a draw.

About the Documentary

Renzo Gracie is the main subject of a 2008 documentary film called Renzo Gracie: Legacy.

Personal Life

Renzo Gracie lives in Holmdel Township, New Jersey. He is married to Cristina Gracie, and they have three children. He has many brothers and sisters, including Ralph Gracie and the late Ryan Gracie.

In 2022, Renzo's biography was released, written by Roberto Alvim.

Tourism Ambassador

In August 2019, Renzo Gracie became an Ambassador of International Tourism for Embratur, which is part of the Brazilian Ministry of Tourism.

Instructor Lineage

This shows how Renzo Gracie learned Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from his teachers: Mitsuyo Maeda → Carlos Gracie Sr. → Helio Gracie → Rolls Gracie → Carlos Gracie Jr. → Renzo Gracie

Achievements and Awards

Submission Grappling

• ADCC Submission Fighting World champion (1998 and 2000)

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

• Copa Atlântico Sul Champion (1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994)

Mixed Martial Arts

• World Combat Championships
  • World Combat Championships 1 tournament winner

Mixed Martial Arts Record

Grappling Record

19 Matches, 11 Wins (3 Submissions), 7 Losses, 1 Draw
Result	Rec.	Opponent	Method	Event	Division	Date	Location
Draw	11–7–1	Kazushi Sakuraba	Draw	Metamoris V	Superfight	November 22, 2014	Los Angeles, CA
Loss	11–7	Mario Sperry	Points	ADCC 2011	Superfight	September 25, 2011	Nottingham
Loss	11–6	Mike Fowler	Points	ADCC 2007	–77 kg	May 4, 2007	Trenton, NJ
Loss	11–5	Pablo Popovitch	Points	ADCC 2005	–77 kg	2005	Long Beach, CA
Loss	11–4	Marcelo García	Points	ADCC 2003	–77 kg	May 17, 2003	São Paulo
Win	11–3	George Sotiropoulos	Points
Loss	10–3	Cris Brown	Advantage	ADCC 2001	–88 kg	2001	Abu Dhabi
Win	10–2	Jean Jacques Machado	Advantage	ADCC 2000	–77 kg	2000	Abu Dhabi
Win	9–2	Marcio Feitosa	Submission (guillotine choke)
Win	8–2	Israel Albuquerque	Points
Win	7–2	Dennis Hallman	Points
Loss	6–2	Egan Inoue	Points	ADCC 1999	–99 kg	1999	Abu Dhabi
Win	6–1	Fan Yi	Submission (verbal)
Win	5–1	Luis Brito	Submission (guillotine choke)	ADCC 1998	–77 kg	1998	Abu Dhabi
Win	4–1	Fabiano Iha	Points
Win	3–1	Rodrigo Medeiros	Points
Win	2–1	Frank Trigg	Decision
Loss	1–1	Wallid Ismail	decision	Desafio WxR	Superfight	1993	Rio de Janeiro
Win	1–0	Ricardo de la Riva	Advantage	Campeonato Brasileiro	Superfight	1993	Rio de Janeiro

Images for kids

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  Renzo Gracie (on the ground with white trunks) fights Eugenio Tadeu at Pentagon Combat

|} In Spanish: Renzo Gracie para niños