Royce Gracie facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Royce Gracie
Gracie in 2018
Born	(1966-12-12) 12 December 1966 (age 58) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	176 lb (80 kg)
Division	Middleweight Light heavyweight Openweight
Reach	194 cm (76 in)
Style	Gracie jiu-jitsu
Stance	Southpaw
Fighting out of	Torrance, California, United States
Team	Gracie Humaitá Team Royce Gracie
Teacher(s)	Hélio Gracie
Rank	7th deg. BJJ coral belt (under Rickson Gracie)
Years active	1993–1995, 2000–2007, 2016 (MMA) 1998 (Submission grappling)
Mixed martial arts record
Total	20
Wins	15
By knockout	2
By submission	11
By decision	2
Losses	2
By knockout	2
Draws	3
Other information
Notable relatives	Gracie family

Royce Gracie (born 12 December 1966) is a Brazilian retired professional mixed martial artist. He became famous for his success in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Royce is part of the famous Gracie jiu-jitsu family. He is also in the UFC Hall of Fame. Many people see him as one of the most important figures in the history of mixed martial arts (MMA). He also fought in other big events like PRIDE Fighting Championships, K-1's MMA events, and Bellator.

In 1993 and 1994, Gracie won the tournaments at UFC 1, UFC 2, and UFC 4. These were openweight (meaning no weight limits) tournaments with very few rules. He used his amazing submission grappling skills to beat opponents who were much bigger and heavier than him. He was also known for his competition with Ken Shamrock. Royce beat Shamrock in UFC 1. Later, they had a draw in their rematch at UFC 5. Royce also competed in PRIDE Fighting Championships. There, he is remembered for his very long 90-minute fight against catch wrestler Kazushi Sakuraba in 2000. He also had a special "judo vs jiu-jitsu" match against Hidehiko Yoshida, an Olympic gold medalist in judo, at Pride Shockwave in 2002.

Royce Gracie's success in the UFC made Gracie jiu-jitsu (also called "Brazilian" jiu-jitsu) very popular. It changed mixed martial arts forever. His style helped move the sport towards grappling and ground fighting. Because of his important role in MMA, Gracie was the first person to be put into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2003. He was inducted alongside his former rival, Ken Shamrock. In 2016, he was also added to the International Sports Hall of Fame.

Early Life and Training

Royce Gracie was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on December 12, 1966. He is one of nine sons of the jiu-jitsu grandmaster Hélio Gracie. Royce learned this martial art from his father when he was a child. He had his first competition at age 8. He started teaching classes when he was 14 years old.

When Royce was 17, his father, Hélio, gave him a black belt. A few months later, Royce and his brothers Royler and Rickson Gracie moved to Torrance, California. They went to live with their older brother Rorion Gracie. Rorion had moved there in 1978 and started the Gracie Academy.

In the United States, the Gracie brothers continued their family's tradition. This was called the "Gracie Challenge". They would challenge other martial artists to no-rules full-contact matches in their gym. This was to show how good Gracie jiu-jitsu was. Rorion later made videos of these fights into a series called Gracie in Action. Some of these videos showed Royce's fights. The Gracie in Action tapes inspired Art Davie to create the UFC.

Mixed Martial Arts Journey

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

UFC 1: A New Sport Begins

The Ultimate Fighting Championship started in 1993. It was created by Rorion Gracie, businessman Art Davie, and the Semaphore Entertainment Group (SEG). The idea was to have an eight-man openweight tournament. Fighters from different martial arts would compete with very few rules. The goal was to find the most effective fighting style.

Rorion wanted to show how good his family's jiu-jitsu was. He wanted to prove it by beating bigger and stronger opponents. Rorion chose Royce to represent the family. He picked Royce because he was smaller and skinnier. This would show how a smaller person could beat a bigger opponent using jiu-jitsu.

Gracie entered the tournament wearing his famous Brazilian jiu-jitsu gi. In his first fight, Gracie beat boxer Art Jimmerson. He took Jimmerson to the ground using a double-leg takedown. He then got into a dominant "mounted" position. Jimmerson had only one arm free and gave up.

In the semi-finals, Gracie fought shootfighter Ken Shamrock. This was a tough fight for Royce. Shamrock had some grappling experience. Gracie tried a double-leg takedown, but Shamrock defended it. Gracie then pulled Shamrock into his guard. He started kicking Shamrock's body. Shamrock tried to get out and use a heel hook. Royce defended by wrapping his gi around Shamrock's arm. When Shamrock sat back, it pulled Gracie on top of him. Royce then took Shamrock's back and used his own gi to get a rear naked choke. Shamrock tapped out, but the referee didn't see it at first. Shamrock then told the referee he was giving up. Royce was declared the winner. Both fighters shook hands after some playful teasing.

Gracie fought in the finals against karate expert Gerard Gordeau. Gordeau was also a world champion in savate. Gracie managed to take Gordeau to the ground. He then got a rear choke and won the fight. During the fight, Gordeau bit Gracie's ear. This broke one of the few rules of the event. Gracie held the choke for a moment after Gordeau tapped out. Royce was then named the "Ultimate Fighting Champion". He won $50,000 in prize money.

UFC 2: Defending the Title

Gracie returned to defend his title four months later at UFC 2. This tournament had sixteen fighters. He would need to beat four opponents to become champion again. Gracie started by submitting Japanese karateka Minoki Ichihara. He used a lapel choke (which was possible because Ichihara wore a Karategi).

In the quarterfinals, Royce Gracie fought Kung Fu practitioner Jason DeLucia. Gracie had already beaten DeLucia in a "Gracie Challenge" in 1991. Gracie submitted DeLucia with an armbar in just over a minute. Next, Gracie submitted 250-lb Judo and Taekwondo black belt Remco Pardoel. He used a lapel choke again (Pardoel was wearing a Judogi).

In the finals, he faced kickboxer Patrick Smith. Smith had also fought at UFC 1. Gracie easily took Smith to the ground. He won the fight by submission to punches.

UFC 3: A Setback

Royce Gracie entered UFC 3 as a two-time champion and the favorite to win. This event had eight fighters again. Royce's first opponent was Kimo Leopoldo. Leopoldo was a Taekwondo fighter and former wrestler. Leopoldo used his wrestling skills to control the grappling. He stopped several of Gracie's takedowns. He even got behind Gracie. As both men got tired, Gracie held Leopoldo by his ponytail. He eventually submitted him with an armbar. However, Royce was very tired and dehydrated. He withdrew from his next fight before it began. This was the first event Gracie did not win.

UFC 4: Another Victory

Gracie started UFC 4 by submitting 51-year-old karateka Ron van Clief. He used a rear-naked choke in the first round. In the semi-finals, he fought American Kenpo Karate specialist Keith Hackney. Hackney defended Gracie's takedowns for four minutes. But then, Gracie submitted him with an armbar.

Gracie's final tournament fight was against Dan Severn. Severn was a former Pan American freestyle wrestling gold medalist. Severn controlled the fight, taking Gracie down and staying on top for almost fifteen minutes. However, Gracie eventually managed to get a triangle choke. He won by submission.

UFC 5: The Rematch with Ken Shamrock

Gracie and Shamrock returned for UFC 5. They were set to fight in the UFC's first "superfight." This was a special match outside the main tournament. The winner would get a special belt and become the first UFC Superfight Champion. Time limits were brought back into the sport in 1995. This was because of issues with long fights at UFC 4. Both fighters were told about the time limits just hours before the event, which upset them.

At the start of the fight, Shamrock immediately took Gracie down. Gracie pulled guard. For most of the fight, Shamrock was on top, defending Gracie's submission attempts. He also landed some punches on the ground. After almost thirty minutes, the fight went into overtime. It restarted with both fighters standing. In overtime, Shamrock landed a punch that made Gracie's eye swell. Gracie immediately pulled guard again. After a few more minutes with little action, the fight was declared a draw.

This draw caused a lot of discussion. People wondered who would have won if there were judges or no time limits. By the end of the fight, Gracie's right eye was swollen shut. The fight was not well-received by critics or the audience. This was because there wasn't much action.

After the fight, Gracie left the UFC. His brother Rorion also sold his shares of the event. They left because of the new time limits and plans to add judges and weight classes.

UFC Hall of Fame

At UFC 45 in November 2003, on the UFC's ten-year anniversary, Shamrock and Gracie became the first people inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. UFC President Dana White said they were the most deserving. He added that their contributions to the sport might never be matched.

PRIDE Fighting Championships

The Sakuraba Rivalry

Royce Gracie was supposed to fight in PRIDE Fighting Championships in 1998. But he pulled out due to a back injury. The situation changed after PRIDE 8. Royce's older brother Royler Gracie was beaten by Kazushi Sakuraba. Sakuraba won by technical submission. Royler was caught in a Kimura lock and refused to tap out. The referee stopped the match to prevent injury. This was the first time in 50 years a Gracie had been defeated in a mixed martial arts fight. Sakuraba then challenged Rickson Gracie.

The Gracies argued that Royler's loss didn't count. They said he hadn't tapped out, and the referee's stop went against their special rules. Many experts also said that the pure-BJJ style of the Gracies might not be enough against well-rounded fighters anymore. To answer this, and to get a rematch against Sakuraba, the Gracies signed Royce to PRIDE.

PRIDE Grand Prix and Nobuhiko Takada

Royce Gracie's first event in PRIDE was the "PRIDE Grand Prix 2000." This was an openweight tournament. The fights in the first round had one 15-minute round. In his first fight, he faced Japanese professional wrestler Nobuhiko Takada. Takada was a very popular wrestler. He was also the former teacher of Sakuraba, the Gracie family's rival.

In the first minute, Gracie pulled Takada into his guard. He spent the rest of the match trying to submit or sweep Takada. After a quiet fight, Royce Gracie won by unanimous decision. He moved on to the Grand Prix Quarter-Finals.

The Fight with Sakuraba

Royce was then set to fight Kazushi Sakuraba in the quarter-finals at the PRIDE Grand Prix 2000 Finals. Sakuraba was a professional wrestler known for his submission skills. He had beaten several opponents and became a big star in PRIDE. Since Royce entered the Grand Prix specifically to fight Sakuraba, the Gracies asked for special rules. These included unlimited 15-minute rounds, no judges, and no referee stoppages. Wins could only happen by knockout, submission, or throwing in the towel. Sakuraba didn't like the special rules but agreed to the challenge.

The two fought for an hour and a half. Gracie started to get tired. He could no longer stand because of many leg kicks. His corner threw in the towel, and Sakuraba was declared the winner. Sakuraba went on to beat other members of the Gracie family. This earned him the nickname "Gracie Hunter."

Fights with Yoshida

Gracie returned to PRIDE in 2002 to fight Japanese gold-medalist judoka Hidehiko Yoshida. This was a special "judo vs. Brazilian jiu-jitsu" match. It was called a "rematch" of a famous fight from 50 years earlier. The rules were two 10-minute rounds. If there was no winner, it would be a draw. Strikes to the head were not allowed. Also, no strikes were allowed if both fighters were on the ground. Both fighters wore a keikogi (a martial arts uniform). This event had the largest live audience in MMA history, with almost 91,000 fans. Royce's father Hélio Gracie lit a ceremonial olympic torch at the opening.

Royce started the fight by pulling guard and trying a heel hook and an armbar. Yoshida blocked them. Yoshida then tried a gi choke and an ankle lock. Gracie pulled guard again. Yoshida got a mounted choke. The referee stopped the match, thinking Royce was unconscious. Yoshida was given the win.

Gracie immediately protested. Footage of the fight was reviewed. It showed that Gracie's arm looked limp. Gracie argued with the referee. This led to a fight between the corners of the two fighters. Backstage, the Gracies demanded the fight be changed to a "no contest." They also wanted an immediate rematch with different rules. They said if not, the Gracie family would never fight for PRIDE FC again. PRIDE agreed to their demands.

Afterward, Gracie started fighting without a gi. This was so his opponents couldn't hold onto it to stall. The rematch between Yoshida and Gracie happened at PRIDE's Shockwave 2003 event. Gracie controlled Yoshida. But, since the match had no judges (as per Gracie's request), the fight was declared a draw after two 10-minute rounds.

Return to UFC

On January 16, 2006, UFC President Dana White announced that Royce Gracie would return to the UFC. He would fight UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes on May 27, 2006, at UFC 60. This was a non-title fight at a special weight of 175 lb. To get ready, Gracie trained in Muay Thai.

In the first round, Hughes got a straight armbar that hyperextended Royce's arm. However, Royce refused to tap. Hughes eventually won the fight by TKO. Royce later said he wanted a rematch. He wasn't surprised by Hughes's performance. He felt he had over-trained for the fight.

Rematch with Sakuraba

On May 8, 2007, EliteXC announced that Gracie's opponent for the June 2 Dynamite!! USA event would be Japanese fighter Kazushi Sakuraba. Gracie defeated Sakuraba by a unanimous decision.

Retirement and Return

On November 15, 2013, at UFC 167, Royce Gracie confirmed he had retired from competing in mixed martial arts.

However, at Bellator 145, it was announced that Gracie would return from retirement. He would face his rival Ken Shamrock in a third fight. This fight happened on February 19, 2016, at Bellator 149. Gracie won the fight by TKO in the first round.

Post-Fight Activities

Royce Gracie demonstrates a Kesa-gatame in a seminar in 2011.

Since retiring from MMA, Gracie has focused on teaching jiu-jitsu. He travels around the world, visiting schools, teaching seminars, and giving interviews. He has opened his own group of gyms called "Royce Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Network." These schools are in many places in the United States and other countries.

Royce Gracie's style of jiu-jitsu mainly focuses on self-defense. He believes that modern "sporting" jiu-jitsu teaches techniques that are not practical for real self-defense. He aims to bring back the original purpose of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, as his father Hélio Gracie taught it.

Personal Life

Royce Gracie has three sons and a daughter. His son Kheydon Gracie joined the US Army.

Even though he is a 7th degree coral belt, Gracie wears a dark blue belt when training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. This is to honor his father, Hélio Gracie. Hélio Gracie mostly wore a dark blue belt, even though he had the highest possible rank, a red belt. Hélio Gracie passed away in 2009. Royce has said he does not want to be promoted by anyone else.

In 2022, Gracie competed in the Sig Hunter Games and was on the winning team.

On July 6, 2023, it was announced that ESPN Films is making a documentary series about the Gracie family.

Career Achievements

Mixed Martial Arts

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • UFC Hall of Fame (First person inducted, 2003)
  • Won the UFC 1 Tournament Championship
  • Won the UFC 2 Tournament Championship
  • Won the UFC 4 Tournament Championship
  • Was a semi-finalist in the UFC 3 Tournament
  • First tournament champion in UFC history
  • Longest streak of finishes (wins by knockout or submission) in UFC history (11)
  • Most fights won in tournaments in UFC history (11)
  • Most tournaments won in UFC history (3)
  • Most fights in a single night in UFC history (4) (tied with Patrick Smith)
  • Longest fight in UFC history (36 minutes) - vs. Ken Shamrock 2 at UFC 5
  • Longest submission streak in UFC history (6)
  • Tied for most armbar submission wins in UFC history (4)
  • Third highest rate of submission finishes in UFC history (90.91%)
  • Greatest Submission in UFC's first 25 Years - vs. Ken Shamrock 1
• PRIDE Fighting Championships
  • Longest fight in PRIDE history (90 minutes) - vs. Kazushi Sakuraba at PRIDE Grand Prix 2000 Finals
• Fight Matrix
  • Fighter of the Year (1993)
• Black Belt Magazine
  • Competitor of the Year (1994)
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • Fight of the Year (2000) - vs. Kazushi Sakuraba
• World MMA Awards
  • 2013 Lifetime Achievement
• International Sports Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2016

Mixed Martial Arts Record

Submission Grappling Record

Result	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Notes
Lose	Wallid Ismail	Technical submission (clock choke)	Oscar de Jiu-Jitsu	December 17, 1998	n/a	4:53	No time limit, no points.

Images for kids

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  Royce Gracie in 2007

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  Gracie in 2010

See Also

In Spanish: Royce Gracie para niños

• Gracie family
• Rodrigo Gracie
• List of Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners