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

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, and

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

. As the son of

Rolls Gracie Rolls Gracie (; 1951–1982) was a Brazilian martial artist. He was a prominent member of the Gracie family known for their founding of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and considered by some the family's best ever fighter. He was teacher of Rickson Gracie, ...

, he is a third generation martial arts member of the

Gracie family The Gracie family () is a family of martial artists originally from Belém, state of Pará, Brazil, whose ancestors came from Paisley, Scotland. They are known for promoting the self-defense martial arts system of Gracie jiu-jitsu, commonly kn ...

, and a 5th degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

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 7th degree coral belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and coach. A third generation member of the Gracie family, he is the grandson of Gracie jiu-jitsu co-founder C ...

's New York Pitbulls 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 ( ; ; ), officially the Republic of Dagestan, is a republic of Russia situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, along the Caspian Sea. It is located north of the Greater Caucasus, and is a part of the North Caucasian Feder ...

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 by karateka Kazuyoshi Ishii. Originally under the ownership of the Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG), K-1 was considered to be the largest Kickboxing organization in the worl ...

kickboxing Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid Martial arts, martial art and Boxing (disambiguation), boxing type based on punch (combat), punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, norma ...

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 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 TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

debut on February 6, 2010, in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

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

Joey Beltran Joey Beltran (born December 9, 1981) is an American bare-knuckle fighter and mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. A professional mixed martial artist since 2007, he has competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC, Bellator MMA, Bel ...

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 Herbert Dean (born September 30, 1970) is a professional mixed martial arts referee and former mixed martial artist from the United States. Dean has worked events put on by the Ultimate Fighting Championship and ONE Championship promotions, amo ...

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 ONE Championship, formerly ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) until January 2015, is a multinational combat sports promotion founded on 14 July 2011 by Chatri Sityodtong and Victor Cui. Originally focused on mixed martial arts (MMA), ONE event ...

. 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, kickboxing, kickboxer, professional wrestler, actor, and former American football, football player. He is currently under contract with Rizin Fighting Federatio ...

. 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 Derrick Mehmen (born May 30, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Heavyweight division for the Titan Fighting Championships. A professional competitor since 2006, Mehmen has also made appearances in St ...

on WSOF 5 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 Decemb ...

winner

Mariusz Pudzianowski Mariusz Zbigniew Pudzianowski (; born 7 February 1977), also known as "Pudzian" and "Dominator", is a Polish people, Polish mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and former Strongman (strength athlete), strongman competitor. With Strongman#In ...

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, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...

promotion

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...

(NJPW) at the King of Pro-Wrestling

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 ...

, issuing an open challenge for the January 4, 2014,

Wrestle Kingdom 8 in Tokyo Dome Wrestle Kingdom 8 in Tokyo Dome was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) Professional wrestling promotion, promotion, which took place at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on January 4, 2014 ...

event, which was later answered by

Yuji Nagata is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, and former mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Considered one of the greatest Japanese wrestlers ...

and

Kazushi Sakuraba is a Japanese professional wrestler, submission wrestling, submission wrestler and former mixed martial artist, currently signed to Pro Wrestling NOAH, Pro Wrestling Noah, where he was formerly one-half of the former GHC Tag Team Championship, G ...

, 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 Invasion Attack 2014 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on April 6, 2014, in Tokyo at Ryōgoku Kokugikan. The event featured nine matches, five of which were contes ...

, the Gracies defeated Takashi Iizuka and

Toru Yano is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, trained by and signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was the KOPW (New Japan Pro-Wrestling), KOPW 2020 and the KOPW (New Japan Pro-Wrestling), KOPW 2021. He is one of the ...

in another tag team match. The Gracies' win streak continued on May 3 at

Wrestling Dontaku 2014 Wrestling Dontaku 2014 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on May 3, 2014, in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Fukuoka, at the Fukuoka Convention Center#Fukuoka Kokusai ...

, where they defeated Sakuraba and

Shinsuke Nakamura is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is 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 3-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, with his first rei ...

. 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

(1951–1982), and grandson 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 a ...

(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 Middletown Township is a township in northern Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township was the state's 20th-most-populous municipality and the largest in the county,

. He also owns and operates the Rolles Gracie Academy in Old Bridge, New Jersey and West Long Branch, NJ.Renzo Gracie Middletown Martial Arts >> Instructor Bios
/ref> He has a son and three daughters.

Achievements

Submission Grappling * 2005 ADCC World Championship participant * ADCC World Champion (2007) Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu * No-Gi American National Super Heavyweight Champion (2010) * No-Gi Pan-American 2nd Place (2008) * 3× Pan-American Champion (1996, 2000, 2006) * Ranked #1 North America (2005) *

Grapplers Quest Grapplers Quest is an organization mainly concerned with the promotion of submission grappling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournaments. Founded in 1998 by Brian Cimins, Grapplers Quest hosts competitions of various division, age, and weight classes ...

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 is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

, 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 ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...

, Poland , For the KSW Heavyweight Championship. , - , Loss , align=center , 8–2 ,

, KO (punch) , WSOF 5 , , align=center , 2 , align=center , 2:40 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, 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, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, 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 (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...

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

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

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

, 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 southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, directly across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region of Quebec and is also par ...

, 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 (New Jersey), town in and the county seat of Morris County, New Jersey, Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center , 3–1 ,

, 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 M ...

, , 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 is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...

, 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, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, 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 Broward County, Florida, United States. It is a suburb in the Miami metropolitan area. The population of Hollywood was 153,067 as of 2020, making it the Broward County#Communities, third-largest city in Broward County, th ...

, United States , , , -

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 Martial artists 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 ONE Championship mixed martial artists