Rolles Gracie (born July 14, 1978) is a Brazilian professional

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, incorpo ...

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, and

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

. As the son of Rolls Gracie, he is a third generation martial arts 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 ...

, and a 5th degree black belt in

Mixed martial arts career

Gracie stepped into the

International Fight League The International Fight League was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion billed as the world's first MMA league. It was founded on January 7, 2006, and closed on July 31, 2008.

for his first MMA fight on the undercard of the IFL World Team Championships in 2007. He joined his cousin

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 ...

New York Pitbulls The New York Pitbulls were an International Fight League team based in NYC, New York. Coached by Brazilian Jiu Jitsu expert and MMA veteran Renzo Gracie, the Pitbulls were one of four teams competing in the IFL's inaugural season. Record/Roste ...

in the IFL. Gracie's younger brothers Igor and Gregor are also mixed martial artists. Gracie was set to fight Ricardo Romero at Ring of Combat 24, April 17, 2009, but he withdrew from the fight a week before due to an injury sustained in practice. Gracie signed with

Art of War Fighting Championship The Art of War Fighting Championship (英雄榜/Art of War/AOW) was a Chinese professional mixed martial arts promotion based in Beijing, China. The Chinese title "英雄榜" literally translated means "Gathering of Heroes." Art of War FC has no ...

and made his debut on May 23, 2009, where he defeated in a mixed martial match Magomedbag Agaev from

Daghestan Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republic of Russia situated in the North Ca ...

at 5:09 seconds in Round 1. Rolles, in his second fight for the Art of War FC promotion, defeated

K-1 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...

kickboxing Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...

veteran, but at the time 0–2 in MMA, Peter Graham early in the first round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Gracie was expected to make his UFC debut on February 6, 2010 in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

against Mostapha Al-Turk Due to Mostapha Al Turk having visa troubles, Gracie instead faced

Joey Beltran José Felipe Beltran (born December 9, 1981) is an American bare-knuckle fighter and mixed martial artist. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, he has competed for the UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce, and King of the Cage. He currently compe ...

in his UFC debut. Gracie secured a takedown early, and managed to take Beltran's back. However he would quickly become exhausted, and Beltran would defend the rest of his takedowns with ease. In the second round, Gracie attempted another takedown but was denied, and Beltran immediately started landing ground and pound which Gracie was unable to defend, causing referee Herb Dean to stop the fight. Following the defeat,

described Rolles' performance as "embarrassing", saying his exhaustion was caused by nerves and the pressure he put on himself. Rolles was released from the UFC after just one fight.

Post-UFC

Gracie was to face Mike Ciesnolevicz at a Shine Fights event on January 8, 2011. The event, however, did not materialize. Instead, Gracie made his first post-UFC appearance on April 22, 2011 at UCC 4: Supremacy. He defeated Braden Bice via submission in the first round.

ONE Fighting Championship

On December 8, 2011 it was announced that Gracie had signed for Asian promotion ONE Fighting Championship. He made his debut at ONE FC: Battle of Heroes in Jakarta, Indonesia on February 11, 2012 where he took on

Bob Sapp Robert Malcolm Sapp (born September 22, 1973) is an American mixed martial artist, kickboxer, professional wrestler, actor, and former American football player. He is currently under contract with Rizin Fighting Federation. Sapp has a combined ...

. Gracie won the fight in the first round by submission due to strikes. Rolles faced Tony Bonello in a Heavyweight bout at ONE FC: Pride of a Nation in Quezon City, Philippines. He won via submission in the third round.

World Series of Fighting

Gracie was set to take on Dave Huckaba at WSOF 3 on June 14, 2013. However Gracie was forced out of the fight due to a wrist injury. In his promotion debut, Gracie faced Derrick Mehmen on

WSOF 5 This is a list of events held and scheduled by the Professional Fighters League, a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States. This list also includes events by the league's predecessor, the World Series of Fighting (WSOF). Schedu ...

on September 14, 2013 at World Series of Fighting 5: Arlovski vs. Kyle, where he was knocked out in the second round after outboxing Mehmen in the first.

KSW

After signing with the Polish MMA promotion KSW, Gracie challenged Karol Bedorf for the KSW Heavyweight Championship at KSW 28 on October 4, 2014. He lost the fight by TKO in the first round. He then faced former Polish strongman and five-time

World's Strongest Man The World's Strongest Man is an international Strongman competition held every year. Organized by American event management company IMG, a subsidiary of Endeavor, it is broadcast in the US during summers and in the UK around the end of Decem ...

winner

Mariusz Pudzianowski Mariusz Zbigniew Pudzianowski (; born 7 February 1977), also known as "Pudzian" and "Dominator", is a Polish entrepreneur, mixed martial artist and former strongman competitor. With 43 international victories at a record 70% winning percenta ...

at KSW 31 on May 23, 2015. Gracie lost in surprising fashion by KO after Pudzianowski landed a punch just 27 seconds into the first round.

Professional wrestling career

On October 14, 2013, Rolles, along with Daniel Gracie, made an appearance for

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

promotion

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority sha ...

(NJPW) at the

King of Pro-Wrestling King of Pro-Wrestling is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event has been held every October since 2012 and aired domestically as a pay-per-view (PPV). The event also aired internationally ...

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program g ...

, issuing an open challenge for the January 4, 2014, Wrestle Kingdom 8 in Tokyo Dome event, which was later answered by

Yuji Nagata is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). A two-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, World Heavyweight Champion and a GHC Heavyweight Champion, making him a four-time world champion in major professio ...

and

Kazushi Sakuraba is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and submission wrestler, currently signed to Rizin Fighting Federation and Pro Wrestling Noah, where he was formerly one-half of the former GHC Tag Team Champions with Takashi Sugi ...

, the latter known as the "Gracie Hunter" for his MMA bouts with members of the Gracie family. The Gracies lost the match via disqualification, after Daniel choked Nagata out with his gi. A rematch between the two teams took place on February 11 at The New Beginning in Osaka and saw Rolles submit Sakuraba for the win. On April 6 at Invasion Attack 2014, the Gracies defeated Takashi Iizuka and Toru Yano in another tag team match. The Gracies' win streak continued on May 3 at Wrestling Dontaku 2014, where they defeated Sakuraba and

Shinsuke Nakamura is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Nakamura is known for his time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former three-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, with his fir ...

. On May 25 at Back to the Yokohama Arena, Rolles wrestled his first singles match, where he was defeated by Sakuraba.

Personal life

Gracie is the eldest son of Rolls Gracie (1951–1982), and grandson of Carlos Gracie (1902–1994). He is the older brother of Igor Gracie and Gregor Gracie. Gracie lives in New Jersey where he is the main instructor at his cousin

’s jiu-jitsu school in Middletown, New Jersey. He also owns and operates the Rolles Gracie Academy in

Old Bridge, New Jersey Old Bridge Township is a township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, located in the Raritan Valley region and within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township’s population was 66,876, re ...

and West Long Branch, NJ.Renzo Gracie Middletown Martial Arts >> Instructor Bios
/ref> He has a son named Hollis and three daughters named Kiara Georgia & Ella.

Achievements

Submission Grappling * 2005

ADCC World Championship The ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship, is an international submission wrestling, submission grappling competition, organised by the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC). The inaugural tournament was held in Abu Dhabi, UAE in 1998. It has been ...

participant * ADCC World Champion (2007) Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu * No-Gi American National Super Heavyweight Champion (2010) * No-Gi Pan-American Champion (2008) * 3× Pan-American Champion (1996, 2000, 2006) * Ranked #1 North America (2005) * Grapplers Quest Copa Atlantica (2005) * Brazilian Teams Champion (2000) * 3rd Place, World Championship (1999) * 2× Brazilian National Champion (1996, 1999) * 2nd Place, World Jiu-Jitsu Championships (1998) (defeated by Carlos "Carlão" Santos) * 3× Rio de Janeiro State Champion (1989, 1991, 1993) Judo * Sunshine States Games (1998) * Miami Dade Open (1998)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 8–4 ,

, KO (punch) , KSW 31: Materla vs. Drwal , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:27 ,

Gdańsk Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...

, Poland , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–3 , Karol Bedorf , TKO (body kick and punches) , KSW 28: Fighters Den , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:04 ,

Szczecin Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major s ...

, Poland , For the KSW Heavyweight Championship. , - , Loss , align=center , 8–2 , Derrick Mehmen , KO (punch) ,

, , align=center , 2 , align=center , 2:40 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, United States , , - , Win , align=center , 8–1 ,

Yusuke Kawaguchi (born August 14, 1980) is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, who fights in the heavyweight division. He is the former DEEP Megaton Champion, and has also fought in DREAM, M-1 Global and KSW. Judo Yusuke Kawaguchi came ...

, Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2012 , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 2:00 ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center , 7–1 , Tony Bonello , Submission (rear-naked choke) , ONE FC: Pride of a Nation , , align=center , 3 , align=center , 1:33 ,

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center , 6–1 ,

, TKO (submission to punches) , ONE FC: Battle of Heroes , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 1:18 ,

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital city, capital and list of Indonesian cities by population, largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coa ...

, Indonesia , , - , Win , align=center , 5–1 , Lee Mein , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Wreck MMA: Unfinished Business , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 1:51 ,

Gatineau, Quebec Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region and is part of Canada's ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center , 4–1 , Braden Bice , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , UCC 4: Supremacy , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 1:05 ,

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a town and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Joey Beltran José Felipe Beltran (born December 9, 1981) is an American bare-knuckle fighter and mixed martial artist. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, he has competed for the UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce, and King of the Cage. He currently compe ...

, TKO (punches) ,

UFC 109 ''UFC 109: Relentless'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on February 6, 2010, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background A previously rumoured bout between Renzo Gracie and ...

, , align=center , 2 , align=center , 1:31 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center , 3–0 , Peter Graham , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Art of War 14: Ground Zero , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 1:43 ,

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

, China , , , - , Win , align=center , 2–0 , Baga Agaev , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Art of War 12: Invincible , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 5:09 ,

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...

, China , , , - , Win , align=center , 1–0 , Sam Holloway , Submission (rear-naked choke) , IFL – 2007 Team Championship Final , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 1:49 ,

Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. As of July 1, 2019, Hollywood had a population of 154,817. Founded in 1925, the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and is no ...

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References

External links

Rolles Gracie Academy
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gracie, Rolles Living people Brazilian male mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Mixed martial artists utilizing Gaidojutsu Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Brazilian male judoka Brazilian jiu-jitsu trainers Sportspeople from Rio de Janeiro (city) 1978 births Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Rolles Pan American Games competitors for Brazil Judoka trainers Brazilian male professional wrestlers People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters