Rorion Gracie (; born January 10, 1952) is a Brazilian-born
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Grand Master, a prominent 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 kno ...
, writer, publisher, producer, lecturer, lawyer and the co-founder of the
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
. He is the oldest son of
Hélio Gracie
Hélio Gracie (October 1, 1913 – January 29, 2009) was a Brazilian martial artist who together with his brothers Oswaldo, Gastao Jr, George and Carlos Gracie founded and developed the self-defense martial art system of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, also ...
and one of the few people in the world to hold a 9th degree
red belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,
and is widely recognized as one of the men responsible for introducing Gracie/Brazilian Jiu-jitsu to the United States and the world following the arrival in the US of first cousin,
Carley Gracie
Carley Gracie (born January 10, 1952) is a Brazilian-born American martial artist, a prominent member of the Gracie family, and a jiu-jitsu grandmaster. His father is Carlos Gracie. Carley Gracie is one of an elite group to have been awarde ...
in 1972.
Early life and education
Rorion started Jiu-Jitsu at a young age, doing demonstrations and classes. He spent his youth learning how to teach under the tutelage of his father, Grand Master
Hélio Gracie
Hélio Gracie (October 1, 1913 – January 29, 2009) was a Brazilian martial artist who together with his brothers Oswaldo, Gastao Jr, George and Carlos Gracie founded and developed the self-defense martial art system of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, also ...
.
In December 1969, he travelled to the United States for a vacation returning to Brazil in the end of 1970.
He attended the
Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro or University of Brazil (UFRJ; pt, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro or ') is a public research university located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest federal university in the ...
, graduating with a degree in Law.
Career
In 1978, Rorion Gracie moved to
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
where he worked as an extra in movies and television. Attempting to spread Jiu-Jitsu culture, he laid some mats in his
garage
A garage is a covered structure built for the purpose of parking, storing, protecting, maintaining, and/or repairing vehicles. Specific applications include:
*Garage (residential), a building or part of a building for storing one or more vehicle ...
in
Hermosa Beach
Hermosa Beach (''Hermosa'', Spanish for "Beautiful") is a beachfront city in Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California, United States. Its population was 19,728 at the 2020 U.S. Census. The city is located in the South Bay region of th ...
and invited people he met to try the sport.
In 1985, Rorion invited his 18-year-old brother,
Royce, to move to America.
Rorion was a technical adviser for the 1987 movie ''
Lethal Weapon
''Lethal Weapon'' is a 1987 American buddy cop action comedy film directed and co-produced by Richard Donner, written by Shane Black, and co-produced by Joel Silver. It stars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover alongside Gary Busey, Tom Atkins, D ...
'' providing training to actors
Mel Gibson
Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apoca ...
and
Gary Busey
Gary Busey (; born 1944) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Buddy Holly in ''The Buddy Holly Story'' (1978), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and won the National Society of Film Critics ...
. The director
Richard Donner
Richard Donner (born Richard Donald Schwartzberg; April 24, 1930 – July 5, 2021) was an American filmmaker whose notable works included some of the most financially-successful films during the New Hollywood era. According to film historian ...
wanted Gibson's character to have a unique style of fighting never seen onscreen before with the second assistant director Willie Simmons, who was interested in unusual forms of martial arts, choosing BJJ and two other martial arts styles to use in the movie.
In 1988, Rorion produced the documentary ''Gracie Jiu-Jitsu In Action''. In 1989, Rorion with brothers Royce,
Rickson and
Royler, opened the first Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in
Torrance, California
Torrance is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay region of the metropolitan area. Torrance has of beachfront on the Pacific O ...
.
In 1991, he produced ''The Basics of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu'', a five volume training video series together with a special edition volume.
Rorion was also a
technical advisor
In film production, a technical advisor is someone who advises the director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a ...
, a
fight scene choreographer for ''
Lethal Weapon 3
''Lethal Weapon 3'' is a 1992 American buddy cop action film directed by Richard Donner and written by Jeffrey Boam and Robert Mark Kamen. The sequel to '' Lethal Weapon 2'' (1989), it is the third installment in the ''Lethal Weapon'' film ser ...
'' in 1992, providing training to
Rene Russo
Rene Marie Russo (born February 17, 1954) is an American actress and model. She began her career as a fashion model in the 1970s, appearing on magazine covers such as ''Vogue'' and ''Cosmopolitan''. She made her film debut in the 1989 comedy '' ...
together with martial artist
Cheryl Wheeler-Dixon
Cheryl Wheeler-Dixon (August 18, 1960 – February 12, 2020) was an American stunt woman, stunt double, and stunt driver in the US movie industry. She was credited as Cheryl Wheeler-Duncan, Cheryl Wheeler, Cheryl M. Wheeler, and Sheryl Wheeler. ...
and a Karate instructor. The Karate instructor immediately went on to rehearse spectacular
ura-mawashi high kicks, which resulted in Russo pulled groin muscles the very first day, and was so frustrated with learning the technique, that Richard Donner asked Gracie not only to teach her, but also to attend the
film set
A set is artificially constructed scenery used in theatre, film and TV. In the latter two cases there are many reasons to build or use a set instead of travelling to a real location, such as budget, time, the need to control the environment, or ...
for filming sequence as a technical advisor. Gracie was so proficient and pliable in an
uke
Uke may refer to:
People
* Uke Clanton (1898–1960), Major League Baseball first baseman who played for one season. Nicknamed "Cat", he played for the Cleveland Indians for one game on September 21, 1922
* Uke Rugova
* Sıtkı Üke (1876†...
role, that Russo refused to do
the throw with whoever else excluding Gracie, and insisted him to step into the action as a
stuntman for a fight scene.
In 1993, inspired by countless exhibition matches termed the "
Gracie Challenge
The Gracie Challenge was an open invitation challenge match issued by members of the Gracie family, representing their self-defense system of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu against challengers of other martial art systems in a vale tudo match, or "anything goes" ...
", a tradition that started with his uncle and Gracie jiu-jitsu co-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 an ...
, Rorion teamed with promoter and business executive
Art Davie
Art Davie (born April 5, 1947) is a business executive and entrepreneur formerly active in Southern California advertising circles. In 1993, he created and co-produced the tournament which became the televised Ultimate Fighting Championship. In 19 ...
in the creation of the
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
(UFC). Davie had always dreamed of an inter-discipline contest, pitting various martial arts against one another to determine the most effective. Rorion was only interested in showcasing his father's style, and demonstrating its dominance. Through this pay-per-view spectacle, he hoped to show that, in a "no time limit - no rules" setting, Gracie jiu-jitsu was the only system of self-defense that would give someone a realistic chance of defeating a larger, more athletic adversary.
Davie recruited seven martial artists of different styles to participate in a single-elimination tournament. Rorion enlisted his brother Royce to represent the family style in the competition. Due to his smaller frame and relatively low body weight, Royce was the smallest competitor, making an excellent example of the powers of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
In 1994, following UFC, a small group of high-ranking military personnel, from the most elite unit in the
US Army Special Operations Forces, contacted Rorion and asked him to develop an objective hand-to-hand combat course based on the most effective techniques of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
The result was the Gracie Combatives military course that was taught to US Special Operations Forces, conventional US military units and the CIA.
In January 2002, the techniques were the foundation of the official US Army Modern Army Combatives Program (MACP).
The Gracie Resisting Attack Procedures for Law Enforcement (GRAPLE) was also concurrently developed with the combatives course, following a similar request from law enforcement for a defensive tactics training course, that was adopted by virtually all US law enforcement.
The two courses were later merged to create the Gracie Survival Tactics (GST), a combative and defensive tactics course, for both military and law enforcement.
Books
Rorion wrote and published the book ''The Gracie Diet'' in 2010.
Videos
Awards and honors
''
Black Belt Magazine
''Black Belt'' is an American magazine covering martial arts and combat sports. The magazine is based in Valencia, California, and is one of the oldest titles dedicated to martial arts in the United States.
History and profile
The magazine w ...
'' named Rorion Gracie the 2006 Instructor of the Year.
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 ...
→
Tomita Tsunejiro is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Aijiro Tomita (1885–1954), Japanese politician
*Hiroyuki Tomita (born 1980), Japanese gymnast
* Isao Tomita (1932–2016), Japanese electronic music composer
* Kazuo Tomita (born 1 ...
→
Mitsuyo "Count Koma" Maeda →
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 an ...
→
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
* He ...
→ Rorion Gracie
See also
*
List of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners
*
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 kno ...
References
External links
Official YouTube ChannelGracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy*
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academyat
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gracie, Rorion
1952 births
Sportspeople from Rio de Janeiro (city)
Sportspeople from Torrance, California
Brazilian emigrants to the United States
Living people
Rorion
People awarded a red belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu