Rickson Gracie is one of the pioneers of not just Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but also MMA. When fighting, he was known for using his BJJ skills to control and submit his opponents. Since then, his legacy remains as one of the most important martial artists ever. Even his sons still fight and carry the iconic Gracie name. So, if you want to learn more about the man and his lifestyle, then read on.
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Is Rickson Gracie the best?
Rickson Gracie is one of few MMA fighters to have ever retired with a perfect record. He was also massively influential in both MMA and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and shaped both in ways very few others could ever dream of.
However, is he the best? This question is completely subjective and depends on your own viewpoint. These days, people often argue that Khabib Nurmagomedov is the best to have ever fought in MMA. Regardless of your views, it’s all opinions and it’s also unfair to compare fighters of old with newer fighters who fought under different rules. Honestly though, there’s no one out there that thinks Rickson was overrated though or really looks down on him which says a lot.
Did Rickson Gracie lose?
Technically, Rickson Gracie has one loss to his name. However, in MMA he retired after a 20 year career with a stellar 11-0 record. These fights often took place in Japan, in promotions such as PRIDE and Vale Tudo. According to Rickson, he was unbeaten in hundreds of amateur fights, however due to the nature of these – there are no records and you can only go on his word.
His one loss was in Sambo against skilled US Judoka Ron Tripp. For reference, Tripp had over 1000 Judo and Sambo matches, with only 50 losses to his name, giving him an impressive record in grappling. Rickson lost to Tripp under Sambo rules after being thrown. After this event, he claimed that he was unaware of the rules and disputed the loss. Nonetheless, the history books have this one down as a loss on Rickson’s record.
As seen in the video, Rickson Gracie was also skilled in Sambo and his stand up game was certainly no joke either.
What happened to Rickson Gracie’s son?
Rickson Gracie had 4 sons, and his oldest was named Rockson Gracie. Sadly, Rockson died in a New York City hotel room in 2000 and passed away from a drugs overdose. Rockson was only born in 1982 so was still young and was already well known on the competitive BJJ scene.
He was also a model and as you can expect, the BJJ world had high hopes for him. Due to grief, Rickson Gracie pulled out of the upcoming Kazushi Sakuraba MMA fight which would have been one of the biggest ever in the sport of mixed martial arts.
His other three sons names all begin with the letter K. Of those sons, Kron Gracie is the most known who also had a great BJJ career and won gold at the 2013 ADCC Championships, cementing his own legacy. Like his father, Kron also had a great MMA career in Japan and competed in Rizin. However, he also lost his second UFC fight to Cub Swanson in 2019 – meaning his previously perfect MMA record was ruined.
What is Rickson Gracie net worth?
Rickson Gracie’s net worth is speculated to be well over $1 million. This isn’t too surprising either. Remember, he fought in Japan when Japanese MMA was at its peak. Not only this but Rickson has done years of work doing BJJ privates, seminars and has his own digital video academy. Throw in some movie appearances too, and it’s not too surprising to work out that Rickson is a millionaire.
Does Rickson Gracie have a school?
Technically, Rickson himself does not have a gym. However, for many years he has taught alongside his son Kron Gracie. Originally, Kron had a gym based in California, where he trained for fights with the likes of the Diaz brothers. Here, Rickson also trained and taught.
However, during the Covid19 pandemic, both father and son moved from California to Montana to make a new school. Apparently, Kron decided to move due to the harsh restrictions based in California at the time. He also said how Montana had nice people and he enjoyed the mountains and the weather.
What type of breathing does Rickson Gracie use?
Rickson Gracie is a big fan of the yoga ginastica natural method and made this breathing technique famous during his Choke documentary that was released in line with his MMA career in Japan. Here, he could literally suck his chest inwards and reach a relaxed state by breathing correctly.
This is ideal for fighting for two reasons: firstly, it allows you to stay calm and think clearly which is very important. Secondly, it allows you to store oxygen for longer. With more oxygen in your brain, you won’t gas out as quickly and it’s basically the opposite of hyperventilating which is very useful which fighting.
Is Rickson Gracie a red belt?
Rickson Gracie was awarded the rank of red belt at a ceremony by his older brother Rorion Gracie. Although Rickson accepted this belt he was genuinely surprised. He later admitted that he did not wear the belt as it wasn’t scheduled until he was aged 67 years old.
According to BJJ lore, the red belt can only be earned after a certain time frame, many years after getting your black belt. In like with this philosophy, Rickson effectively declined to wear it. Since then, he has been seen wearing his regular black and red belt, which is the penultimate color before red.
If you want to learn more about Rickson Gracie from his own perspective, check out his memoir book ‘Choke‘
