Kyra Gracie Guimarães (born 29 May 1985) is a Brazilian

submission grappler Submission wrestling, also known as Submission grappling, Submission fighting a form of competition and a general term for martial arts and combat sports that focus on clinch and ground fighting with the aim of obtaining a submission through the ...

and a 4th degree black belt

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

(BJJ) practitioner. A member of the

Gracie family The Gracie Family () are a prominent martial arts family originally from Belém, state of Pará, Brazil whose ancestors came from Paisley, Scotland. They are known for creating the self-defense martial arts system of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, also kn ...

and a highly decorated competitor, she is a four-time World Jiu-Jitsu champion and a three-time ADCC Submission Fighting World champion.

Biography

Kyra Gracie is one of only two women in the

to achieve a black belt in BJJ. She is the first Gracie woman to actively compete in the sport. For several years she lived full-time in the United States, where she is associated with the

Renzo Gracie Academy Renzo Gracie Academy is a martial arts school headed by Renzo Gracie, located in Midtown Manhattan. Overview Renzo Gracie founded the academy in 1996. It was originally above a methadone clinic before it moved to its current location at 224 Wes ...

in New York and the Gracie Barra Academy in

Lake Forest, California Lake Forest is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 85,858 at the 2020 census. Lake Forest incorporated as a city on December 20, 1991. Prior to incorporation, the community had been known as El Toro. Following a vote in 20 ...

. Gracie won the women's under 60 kg title at the ADCC submission championships in 2005, 2007, and 2011. She finished first at the

IBJJF The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) is a for-profit company that hosts several of the biggest Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) tournaments in the world, including the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, World No-Gi Championship, Pan Jiu ...

world championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

in 2006, twice in 2008 (lightweight and absolute divisions), and 2010 She also finished second in 2004, 2005, twice in 2009 (light and open divisions), and 2011. She has been associated with the

Gracie Barra Gracie Barra is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu association with over 800 schools on six continents. The organization was founded by Carlos Gracie, Jr. History Carlos Gracie Jr., who was born in 1956, grew up heavily influenced by his family, especiall ...

Academy and Evolve/Gordo Jiu Jitsu Academy in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

. Gracie competed in tournament six of

Kunoichi is a Japanese cant term for . In popular culture, it is often used for female shinobi or practitioner of ninjutsu (''ninpo''). The term was largely popularized by novelist Yamada Futaro in his novel ''Ninpō Hakkenden'' (忍法八犬伝) in 1964 ...

, the female version of Sasuke (or Ninja Warrior). She announced training for a debut in

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...

.Gracie Magazine >> Kyra Gracie Interview
/ref> In addition to BJJ, she also trains in

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

and

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

.In The Guard.TV >> Kyra Gracie Interview
URL accessed on 3 April 2010. In 2010, Gracie began competing for the newly formed Gracie Elite Team, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition team, composed of competitors representing Rilion Gracie, Renzo Gracie,

Ralph Gracie Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...

, Cesar Gracie, and the late

Ryan Gracie Ryan Gracie (August 13, 1974 – December 15, 2007) was a Brazilian mixed martial artist with a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He was a member of the Gracie family, and a grandson of Carlos Gracie. Career Ryan trained with his ...

’s respective academies. In 2010 Gracie also trained in

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

at the Nobre Arte gym in the Morro do Cantagalo area of Rio de Janeiro under the tutelage of boxing coach Claudio Coelho, to complement her grappling skills. In 2010, Gracie, along with family members Rillion, Rolles,

Roger Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...

, Igor, and Gregor began Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Adventure Camp. The purpose of the camp was to provide training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu with access to the local tourism of the various host countries.

Personal life

Gracie is the granddaughter of

Robson Gracie Carlos Robson Gracie Sr. (; born August 13, 1935) is the second son of Carlos Gracie. Gracie is a 9th degree red belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, affording him the title of Grandmaster. Biography Robson Gracie learned martial arts from his father, ...

, who is the second son of

Carlos Gracie Carlos Gracie (September 14, 1902October 7, 1994) was a Brazilian martial artist who is credited with being one of the primary developers of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Along with his younger brother Hélio Gracie and fellow students Luis França and ...

Sr, the founder of BJJ. Gracie has four younger half-siblings: three half-sisters and a half-brother. Her mother, Flavia Gracie, and her uncles Charles Gracie,

, Renzo Gracie,

(now deceased) all practice BJJ. Gracie has two daughters with the Brazilian actor

Malvino Salvador Malvino Ramos Salvador (born January 31, 1976) is a Brazilian actor and model. Biography Malvino was born in Manaus, Amazonas, where he lived until he was 25 years old. He is of Portuguese descent. In Manaus, he was a bank clerk and studied ...

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Grappling competitive summary

In the major championships at black belt level: * 4x

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

champion (2006 / 2008 (+ Absolute) / 2010) * 2nd place World Championship 2004 * 2x Pan-American Championship champion (2005 / 2007) * 3x

Brazilian Nationals The Campeonato Brasileiro de Jiu-Jitsu (lit. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship), commonly known as ''Brasileiro'', is an annual Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) tournament held in Brazil by the IBJJF. ''Brasileiro'' has been held annually since 1996, ...

champion (2005 / 2008 (+ Absolute)) Main Achievements in coloured belts: * 3x Pan-American Championship champion (2001/2002 blue belt, 2003 purple) * 4x Brazilian Nationals champion (1998 / 1999 / 2000 / 2001) Other achievements: * 3 x ADCC World Championship champion (2005 / 2007 / 2011) * 5x BJJ New York State Champion (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002) * 1x

Asian Championship An Asian Championship is a top level international sports competition between Asian athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. List of Championships (Summer Olympic Sports) ;Aquatics * Asia ...

champion (2006) * First woman to be inducted into the ADCC Hall of Fame

References

External links

Kyra Gracie
BJJ (GI) career on MARanking , Martial Arts Ranking {{DEFAULTSORT:Gracie, Kyra 1985 births Living people Sportspeople from Rio de Janeiro (city) Brazilian people of Scottish descent Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners Kyra Brazilian female judoka World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship medalists Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champions (women) IBJJF Hall of Fame inductees People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu ADCC Hall of Fame inductees