Rickson Gracie
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Rickson Gracie | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Statistics | |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[1] |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Born | November 20, 1958 |
| Fighting out of | Brazil |
| Town of birth | Rio De Janeiro, Brazil |
| Fighting style | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Wins | 11[1] |
| By knockout | 0 |
| By submission | 11 |
| Losses | 0 |
| Draws | 0 |
Rickson Gracie (pronounced Hickson; born in Brazil, November 20, 1958[1]) is a martial artist and a mixed martial arts fighter who holds a 7th degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.[2] He is a member of the Gracie family: the son of Hélio Gracie, brother to Rorion Gracie, and half-brother to the fighters Royce Gracie and Royler Gracie.[3] Rickson was the winner of the Vale Tudo Japan tournament in 1994[4] and 1995.[5] He is revered by many both within the Gracie family and in the martial arts community as perhaps the greatest pure Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist of the past half century. [6]
[edit] Fighting record controversy
In addition to Rickson Gracie's official record in mixed martial arts of 11-0-0, there are unsubstantiated and controversial claims of a remarkably extensive combined record in combat sports. Organizations affiliated with him claim that for instance the following:
- He is undefeated with a combined record of over 400 victories in Jiu-Jitsu tournaments, Free-Style Wrestling, Sambo, open weight free-style competitions, and no holds barred challenge matches.
- He is a two time Brazilian Champion in freestyle wrestling.
- He is a Gold Medal Winner in Sambo.
- He has been the middle-heavyweight and no weight division World Jiu-Jitsu Champion for almost two decades.[7]
These claims have not been corroborated by independent sources.[1] Rickson's father Hélio Gracie stated in an interview that "If you count all fights like everybody else does, including Rickson, who says he has 400 fights; if you count like that, I have a million.".[8] Officially, Rickson has at least one loss from the 1993 U.S. Sambo Championships in Norman, Oklahoma, where he was defeated by American Ron Tripp in 45 seconds.[2] Rickson disputes this loss, claiming he was misinformed of the rules of the event,[3] even though he had competed in other Sambo events prior to it.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Sherdog.com. Rickson Gracie. www.sherdog.com. URL last accessd on April 8, 2006.
- ^ BJJ.org. Rickson Gracie. bjj.org. URL last accessed on April 8, 2006.
- ^ International Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Federation. Family Tree. www.550media.com. URL last accessed on April 8, 2006.
- ^ Sherdog.com. VTJ 1994 - Vale Tudo Japan 1994. www.sherdog.com. URL last accessed April 8, 2006.
- ^ Sherdog.com. VTJ 1995 - Vale Tudo Japan 1995. www.sherdog.com. URL last accessed April 8, 2006.
- ^ Warriorscove.com. Rickson Gracie: Reviews and Testimonials. www.warriorscove.com. URL last accessed April 8, 2006.
- ^ Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy. Rickson Gracie. www.gracieacademy.com. URL last accessed on April 8, 2006.
- ^ Gracie, Hélio. Interview with Helio Gracie. video.google.com. URL last accessed April 8, 2006. (GVP format)
