Rickson Gracie is a legendary mixed martial artist and respected UFC Hall of Famer. A member of the famous Gracie family, he is a retired fighter who comes with a red belt and a 9th degree red belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. The talented Brazilian fighter was inducted in the Legends of the Mixed Martial Arts Hall of Fame in November of 2014.
Born in November 21, 1958, Rickson started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at a tender age of 4. At this age, he was not learning the said martial art but was already competing. What’s even more astonishing is that he start teaching Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by the age of 15.
Born | 21 Nov 1958 |
Nationality | United States |
Rickson was 18 years old when he got his black belt and at 20, he won in a fight against the famous brawler Rei Zulu. This win gained him immediate national attention as a top fighter and had introduced him to many promotions including those based in Japan.
The 5 feet 11-inch fighter competed in the middleweight division during his active years in mixed martial arts. He uses Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu as his main styles of fighting and had trained with his father, Helio Gracie, Georges Mehdi, and Rolls Gracie. Aside from his black belt in Jiu-Jitsu, Gracie was also ranked in Sambo and Judo.
His professional mixed martial arts record includes a total of 11 fights with 11 wins and no losses. All his wins were by submission. His last fight was with Masakatsu Funaki on May 26, 2000, which ended with a win for Rickson via Technical Submission.
In addition to being a top-notched mixed martial arts fighter, Gracie also appeared in several films. He appeared in a documentary in 1999 and the blockbuster, The Incredible Hulk, where he acted as the martial arts instructor of Bruce Banner. He also appeared in Fight Science, a television program of National Geographic.