Neiman Gracie Stambowsky (born December 12, 1988) is a Brazilian

mixed martial artist 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 striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

and

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 ...

practitioner. A two-time Pan-American champion in coloured belts, Gracie medalled at the 2013 black belt World No-Gi Championship before transitioning to MMA competing in the

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...

division of

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media cong ...

. Gracie has also previously fought for the

World Series of Fighting The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by Venture capital, venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fight ...

. Gracie is a 4th generation 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 ...

of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, great-grandson of Gracie jiu-jitsu founder

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 ...

as well as the son of 8th degree coral belt

Márcio Stambowsky Márcio "Macarrão" Stambowsky (; born February 22, 1959) is a Brazilian martial artist. An 8th degree coral belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, he is one of the " Famous Five" Rolls Gracie black belts. Regarded as one of the top Brazilian competitor ...

. As of February 7, 2023, he is #6 in the Bellator Welterweight Rankings.

Early life

Neiman Gracie was born on 12 December 1988 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 ...

, Brazil. Gracie is the son of Carla Gracie (daughter 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, ...

), and

. Like his father, he was raised Jewish, making him "one of MMA's most notable Jews." He is a 4th generation member of the

of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He is billed professionally as "Neiman Gracie", using his mother's surname. His sister Deborah Gracie Stambowsky is the second female in the Gracie family to achieve the rank of black belt, behind their first-cousin

Kyra Gracie Kyra Gracie Guimarães (born 29 May 1985) is a Brazilian submission grappler and a 4th degree black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) practitioner. A member of the Gracie family and a highly decorated competitor, she is a four-time World Jiu-Jits ...

. Gracie started training Brazilian jiu-jitsu as a child at age 7.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu career

As a purple belt Gracie won the Pan American Championship (both Gi and No-Gi), the American National and the NY International Open. As a black belt, he won bronze at the 2013

World Nogi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship The World No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship is a no- gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) tournament hosted annually by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation held at California State University in Long Beach, California. The 2022 edition ...

and silver at the 2012 and 2015 IBJJF New York International Open Championship.

Mixed martial arts career

World Series of Fighting

In 2013, Gracie set his sights on competing in mixed martial arts. He signed with the

promotion and made his debut in September 2013 at World Series of Fighting 5: Arlovski vs. Kyle, facing Darren Costa. He won the fight via submission in the first round. Gracie returned to the WSOF decagon on July 5, 2014 at World Series of Fighting 11: Gaethje vs. Newell, facing Dustin Holyko. He again won the fight via submission, this time in the second round.

Bellator MMA

On October 29, 2014, it was announced that the undefeated Gracie had signed with Bellator MMA. Gracie made his Bellator debut against Bobby Flynn on February 27, 2015 at

Bellator 134 2015 in Bellator MMA was the seventh year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. Bellator held 16 events in 2015. Background In June 2014, Founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney parted with the company. ...

. He won the fight via submission in the first round. For his second fight with the promotion, Gracie faced Roger Carroll at Bellator 151 on March 4, 2016. He won the fight by unanimous decision. In his third fight for Bellator, Gracie faced

Rudy Bears Rudy Bears is a former American professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, who competed in the Welterweight (MMA), Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2007, Bears has formerly competed for Bellator MMA, Bellator, St ...

at Bellator 163 on November 4, 2016. He won the fight via submission in the first round. Gracie faced Dave Marfone at Bellator NYC on June 24, 2017. He won the fight via submission in the second round. Gracie was expected to face Javier Torres at Bellator 185 on October 20, 2017. Gracie's opponent was changed to Zak Bucia after an injury to Torres. As a result of the

Brennan Ward Brennan Ward (born June 28, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2008, Ward formerly competed for CES MMA and was the Bellator Season Nine Middleweight Tou ...

David Rickels David Rickels (born January 5, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle fighter who is currently competing in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. A professional since 2010, he is a 23-fight veteran of the Bellat ...

match being removed from the card, also due to injury, the bout was elevated to co-main event. Gracie won the fight by submission due to a neck crank in the second round. In his sixth fight for the promotion, Gracie faced Javier Torres at Bellator 198 on April 28, 2018. He won the fight via arm-triangle choke submission in the second round.

Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix and title shot

Gracie next entered the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix. He faced

Ed Ruth Edward Lee Ruth (born October 21, 1990) is an American former professional mixed martial artist and freestyle and folkstyle wrestler. He competed in the Middleweight division of Bellator MMA. As a folkstyle wrestler, he was a three-time NCAA ...

in the quarterfinals at Bellator 213 on December 15, 2018. He won the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the fourth round. Gracie faced Rory MacDonald in the semi-finals at Bellator 222 on June 14, 2019. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Post-Grand Prix

Gracie was expected to face

Kiichi Kunimoto is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, he has also competed for the RIZIN, UFC, Bellator, and Pancrase. Background Born and raised in the Nishina ...

at Bellator 236 on December 21, 2019. However, Gracie had to withdraw from the bout due to an injury and was replaced by

Jason Jackson Jason Jackson (born May 12, 1972) is an American sportscaster and writer. He worked for ESPN from 1995 until 2002 for sending inappropriate messages to a female co-worker. best known as the host of ''NBA 2Night''. Jason is currently the TV Host/C ...

. Gracie faced

Jon Fitch Jonathan Parker Fitch (born February 24, 1978) is an American retired mixed martial artist. He has competed in the Welterweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the Professional Fighters League (PFL), and most recently for ...

at Bellator 246 on September 12, 2020. Gracie won the bout via second round submission. Gracie faced

Bellator 255 Bellator 255: Pitbull vs. Sanchez 2 was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on April 2, 2021 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The event was Bellator's first of the year following a four-month break ...

on April 2, 2021. He lost the bout via unanimous decision. Gracie faced Mark Lemminger on September 18, 2021 at

Bellator 266 ''Bellator 266: Davis vs. Romero'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on September 18, 2021, at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, United States. Background Former UFC middleweight title contender Yo ...

. He won the bout via TKO in the first round, collecting his first knockout win of his career. Gracie faced

Logan Storley Logan Storley (born September 8, 1992) is an American professional mixed martial artist and graduated folkstyle wrestler. He currently competes in the welterweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is the current Interim Bellator Welterweigh ...

on February 19, 2022 at

Bellator 274 Bellator 274: Gracie vs. Storley was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on February 19, 2022 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Background No. 4-ranked Neiman Gracie took on No. 5-ranked Lo ...

. He lost the mostly standup bout via unanimous decision. Gracie faced

Goiti Yamauchi is a Japanese-born Brazilian mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Welterweight division for Bellator MMA. As of December 13, 2022, he is #5 in the Bellator Welterweight Rankings. Background Yamauchi was born in Anjō, Aichi to ...

on August 12, 2022 at

Bellator 284 ''Bellator 284: Gracie vs. Yamauchi'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on August 12, 2022, at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. Background The main event will feature a battl ...

. He lost the bout in the second round after being knocked out by an uppercut. Gracie was scheduled to face Michael Lombardo on February 4, 2023 at

Bellator 290 ''Bellator 290: Bader vs. Fedor 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on February 4, 2023, at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, United States. The card aired live on CBS and Paramount Plus, the firs ...

. Two weeks before the event, Lombardo was forced to withdraw from the bout and he was replaced by Dante Schiro. Gracie dominated the bout on the way to a unanimous decision victory.

Instructor lineage

Kano Jigoro Kano may refer to: Places *Kano State, a state in Northern Nigeria *Kano (city), a city in Nigeria, and the capital of Kano State **Kingdom of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between the 10th and 14th centuries **Sultanate of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between ...

→ Mitsuyo "Count Koma" Maeda →

→

Helio Gracie Helio may refer to: * Helio AU-24 Stallion * Helio (wireless carrier), a defunct American wireless communications provider (2005–2010); originally a joint venture between SK Telecom and EarthLink, purchased by Virgin Mobile USA in 2008 * ...

→

Carlos Gracie Jr. Carlos "Carlinhos" Gracie Jr. is a Brazilian 8th-degree coral belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and instructor. A member of the Gracie family, he is the son of Carlos Gracie, and first cousin to the Machado family brothers. Caree ...

Renzo Gracie Renzo Gracie (; born March 11, 1967) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. A member of the Gracie family of Brazil, Renzo is a 7th Degree Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Carlos Gracie Jr. He is the so ...

> Neiman Gracie

Championships and achievements

Brazilian jiu-jitsu

Main Achievements (at black belt level): * 2nd Place NY International Open Championship (2012) * 2nd Place NY Summer Open Championship (2015) * 3rd Place IBJJF World No-Gi Championship 3rd Place (2013 black) Main Achievements (at colored belts): * IBJJF Pan American Champion (2008 purple) * IBJJF Pan American No-Gi Champion (2008 purple) * IBJJF American National Champion (2007 purple) * NY International Open Champion (2009 purple) * 2nd Place NY International Open Championship (2010 purple) * 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship (2008 purple, 2005 blue junior) * 3rd Place IBJJF Pan American Championship (2007/2009 purple) * 3rd Place IBJJF Pan American No-Gi Championship (2011 brown) * 3rd Place Brazilian National Championship (2004 blue junior) * 3rd Place IBJJF NY International Open Championship (2009 purple, 2011 brown)

Mixed martial arts

** Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix Semifinalist **Second most submission wins in Bellator MMA history (seven) **Most submission wins in Bellator MMA Welterweight division history (six)

Mixed martial arts record

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Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

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Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up ...

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Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

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Rosemont, Illinois Rosemont is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Located immediately northwest of Chicago, as of the 2010 census it had a population of 4,202. The village was incorporated in 1956, though it had been settled long before that. Whi ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Dustin Holyko , Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

WSOF 11 World Series of Fighting 11: Gaethje vs. Newell was a mixed martial arts event held on July 5, 2014 in the United States. This event aired live in prime time on NBC. Background Rousimar Palhares was set to make his first title defense against fo ...

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Personal life

Gracie and his wife Karina have one daughter, Khali (born 2018).

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gracie, Neiman Brazilian male mixed martial artists Gracie family People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Rio de Janeiro (city) 1988 births Living people Welterweight mixed martial artists Jewish Brazilian sportspeople Jewish male martial artists Brazilian people of Russian-Jewish descent Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners who have competed in MMA (men)