Royce Gracie

Royce Gracie
Gracie in 2018
Born (1966-12-12) 12 December 1966 (age 57)
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight176 lb (80 kg; 12 st 8 lb)
DivisionMiddleweight
Light heavyweight
Openweight
Reach194 cm (76 in)
StyleGracie jiu-jitsu
StanceSouthpaw
Fighting out ofTorrance, California, United States
TeamGracie Humaitá[1]
Team Royce Gracie
Teacher(s)Hélio Gracie
Rank7th deg. BJJ coral belt
(under Rickson Gracie[2])
Years active1993–1995, 2000–2007, 2016 (MMA)
1998 (Submission grappling)
Mixed martial arts record
Total20
Wins15
By knockout2
By submission11
By decision2
Losses2
By knockout2
Draws3
Other information
Notable relativesGracie family
Websiteroycegracie.com Edit this at Wikidata
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Royce Gracie (Portuguese: [ˈʁɔjsi ˈɡɾejsi]; born 12 December 1966)[3] is a Brazilian retired professional mixed martial artist.[4] Gracie gained fame for his success in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a member of the Gracie jiu-jitsu family, a UFC Hall of Famer, and is considered to be one of the most influential figures in the history of mixed martial arts (MMA).[5][6] He also competed in PRIDE Fighting Championships, K-1's MMA events, and Bellator.

In 1993 and 1994, Gracie was the tournament winner of UFC 1, UFC 2 and UFC 4, which were openweight single-elimination tournaments with minimal rules. He used his skills in submission grappling to defeat larger and heavier opponents.[7] He was also known for his rivalry with Ken Shamrock, whom he beat in UFC 1 and then fought to a draw in the rematch for the Superfight Championship at UFC 5.[8] Royce later competed in PRIDE Fighting Championships, where he is most remembered for his 90-minute bout against catch wrestler Kazushi Sakuraba in 2000,[9] and a controversial "judo vs jiu-jitsu" mixed rules match against Hidehiko Yoshida, an Olympic gold medalist in judo, at PRIDE Shockwave in 2002.[10]

Royce Gracie's success in the UFC popularized Gracie jiu-jitsu (commonly known as Brazilian jiu-jitsu) and revolutionized mixed martial arts, contributing to the movement towards grappling and ground fighting.[7] For his pioneering in mixed martial arts, Gracie was the first inductee to the UFC Hall of Fame in 2003 alongside his once-rival Ken Shamrock.[11] In 2016, he was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame.[12]

  1. ^ "Royce Gracie MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  2. ^ "Royce Gracie Explains Why He Wears a Blue Belt instead of a Coral Belt". BJJEE.com. 8 September 2021. Archived from the original on 20 March 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  3. ^ "UFC 167: Royce Gracie on UFC 1, Renzo Gracie's Criticism, More". YouTube. 2013-11-13. Retrieved 2014-04-04.[dead YouTube link]
  4. ^ "Nineteen years later, Royce Gracie reflects on UFC 1". MMA Fighting. 12 November 2012. Retrieved 2014-04-04.
  5. ^ Fusco, Anthony (September 24, 2012). "Why Royce Gracie Is the Most Influential MMA Fighter of All Time". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
  6. ^ "Full list: Royce Gracie among 50 greatest athletes of all time". MMA Junkie. 2014-01-14. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Meltzer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Mixed Martial Arts at the Turn of the Century". Fightland. 2015-01-08. Archived from the original on 2015-01-08. Retrieved 2022-01-11.
  10. ^ Snowden, Jonathan; Shields, Kendall; Lockley, Peter (November 1, 2010). The MMA Encyclopedia. ECW Press. ISBN 978-15-502292-3-3.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Dr. Robert Goldman (March 15, 2016). "2016 International Sports Hall of Fame Inductees". www.sportshof.org. Retrieved July 14, 2023.