Rickson Gracie is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu red belt and the third-oldest son of Hélio Gracie. He fought vale tudo in Brazil and Japan between 1980 and 2000. He won the Vale Tudo Japan tournament in 1994 and 1995 and beat Nobuhiko Takada twice in the Pride main event. Wikipedia lists his professional record as 11–0, with every win a finish.
Background and lineage
Rickson was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1959 and grew up in the family academy alongside his brothers Rorion and Relson. He received his black belt in 1977, at 18. He also holds a first-degree judo black belt under Georges Mehdi. His lineage runs from Mitsuyo Maeda through Carlos and Hélio Gracie, and in July 2017 he was promoted to 9th-degree red belt.
Fight record and highlights
- Rei Zulu (1980, 1984): He choked Casemiro "Rei Zulu" Nascimento Martins in Brasília in 1980 and again in a controversial 1984 rematch in Rio. Wikipedia notes that rule changes and fouls on both sides were disputed in the rematch.
- Vale Tudo Japan 1994: He won the tournament, choking Yoshinori Nishi, then beating Dave Levicki and Bud Smith by TKO.
- Vale Tudo Japan 1995: He won again, finishing Yoshihisa Yamamoto, Koichiro Kimura and, in the final, Yuki Nakai with a rear-naked choke. The documentary Choke (1995) followed his preparation for this event.
- Pride 1 and Pride 4: In the Tokyo Dome main event on 11 October 1997 he armbarred Nobuhiko Takada in the first round. He did it again exactly a year later.
- Colosseum 2000: He beat Masakatsu Funaki by rear-naked choke at 12:49 of the first round, his last professional fight.
Gracie has claimed more than 400 fights. Hélio disputed this, saying only the Rei Zulu and Japan fights should count. Wikipedia's only recorded official loss is the 1993 U.S. Sambo Championships, where Ron Tripp threw him with uchi mata. Gracie disputed the result.
Style and signature techniques
His recorded finishes are mostly back control chokes and armbars. His memoir Breathe: A Life in Flow (Dey Street Books, 2021, written with Peter Maguire) covers his undefeated career and the Gracie family's history. It also deals with the mind-body connection and staying calm under fear, themes that link to our page on breathing and relaxation.
Legacy
He was inducted into the Legends of MMA Hall of Fame in 2014. His son Kron Gracie competes in jiu-jitsu and MMA, and his eldest son Rockson died around the turn of 2001. In June 2023 Gracie disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2021. In August 2026 he launched Rickson Gracie United, an affiliation of jiu-jitsu schools.