Rickson Gracie

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Rickson Gracie
Statistics
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg/13.2 st)
Born November 21, 1958 (1958-11-21) (age 49)
Fighting out of Brazil
Town of birth Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Fighting style Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Mixed martial arts record
Wins 11[1]
  By submission 11
Losses 0

Rickson Gracie (pronounced Hickson, IPA[hɪksn ɡɹeɪsi]) (born November 20, 1958) is a Brazilian martial artist and professional mixed martial artist 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 Royce and Royler Gracie.[3] He was the winner of the Vale Tudo Japan tournament in 1994 and 1995.[4][5]

Contents

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[edit] Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Paulo Filho, former PRIDE middleweight fighter and current 185 lb World Extreme Cagefighting champion,[6] states that Rickson's skills at Jiu-Jitsu are unparalleled. In Gracie Magazine, Filho says "I have trained with the toughest guys formed by Carlson Gracie. They were all great and I for sure don’t want to diminish anybody, but I have to say that no one ever did to me what Rickson Gracie has done during training these last days.”[7]

[edit] 2008 return

In an exclusive interview with Sherdog's Denis Martins, Rickson Gracie confirmed he was looking to return to the ring. "Possibly something in the beginning of next year, I hope," said Gracie, "if the price is right, I go for the competition."[8]

[edit] Fighting record

In addition to Rickson Gracie's record in professional mixed martial arts of 11-0, his Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy website profile claims that:

Rickson has at least one loss — from the 1993 U.S. Sambo Championships in Norman, Oklahoma, where he was defeated by American Ron Tripp by Total Victory via uchi-mata in 45 seconds. Rickson disputed this loss, claiming he was misinformed of the rules of the event.[10][11]

[edit] Controversy

Rickson has raised the ire of some in the MMA community by criticizing the abilities of current top fighters, claiming that he could still beat them easily today. In a recent interview with Tokyo Sports, Rickson argued that Fedor Emelianenko is a great athlete, but possesses "so-so" technical ability, and that he (Rickson) is "100% sure" that he would defeat him.[12] Previous comments of this sort that Rickson made about Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira prompted Wanderlei Silva to say that Rickson is "living in a fantasy world."[13]

[edit] Mixed martial arts record

Result Opponent Method Event Date Round Time
xWin Masakatsu Funaki Technical Submission (rear naked choke) C2K Colosseum May 26, 2000 1 12:49
Win Nobuhiko Takada Submission (armbar) PRIDE 4 October 11, 1998 1 9:30
Win Nobuhiko Takada Submission (armbar) PRIDE 1 October 11, 1997 1 4:47
Win Yuki Nakai Submission (rear naked choke) Vale Tudo Japan 1995 April 20, 1995 1 6:22
Win Koichiro Kimura Submission (rear naked choke) Vale Tudo Japan 1995 April 20, 1995 1 2:07
Win Yoshihisa Yamamoto Submission (rear naked choke) Vale Tudo Japan 1995 April 20, 1995 3 3:49
Win Bud Smith Submission (punches) Vale Tudo Japan 1994 July 29, 1994 1 0:39
Win Dave Levicki Submission (punches) Vale Tudo Japan 1994 July 29, 1994 1 2:40
Win Yoshinori Nishi Submission (rear naked choke) Vale Tudo Japan 1994 July 29, 1994 1 2:52
Win Rei Zulu Submission (rear naked choke) Independent promotion January 01, 1984 1
Win Rei Zulu Submission (rear naked choke) Independent promotion April 25, 1980 1 11:55

[edit] The film Choke

Released by Manga Entertainment in 1999, Choke, a 98 minute documentary by filmmaker Robert Goodman follows Rickson Gracie and 2 other fighters as they prepare and fight in Tokyo's Vale Tudo 1995, an early MMA event. "Choke" has been distributed in 23 countries.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Fight Finder: Rickson Gracie. Sherdog (2007). Retrieved on 2007-07-02.
  2. ^ Rickson Gracie Jiu Jitsu
  3. ^ Gracie Family Tree. International Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Federation Family Tree. Retrieved on 2006-04-08.
  4. ^ Fight Finder: Vale Tudo Japan 1994. Sherdog (2007). Retrieved on 2006-04-08.
  5. ^ Fight Finder: Vale Tudo Japan 1995. Sherdog (2007). Retrieved on 2006-04-08.
  6. ^ WORLD EXTREME CAGEFIGHTING: Brazilian pounds out win Middleweight Filho earns title. Review Journal (2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-06.
  7. ^ Rickson Awes Paulo Filho. Gracie Mag (2006). Retrieved on 2007-08-06.
  8. ^ Rickson Gracie "Hopes" for 2008 Return. Sherdog (2008). Retrieved on 2007-11-08.
  9. ^ About Rickson Gracie. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy. Retrieved on 2006-04-08.
  10. ^ Rickson Gracie interview: part one (Reprint). FreeFight magazine (December 12, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-07-02.
  11. ^ Rickson Gracie interview: part two (Reprint). FreeFight magazine (December 12, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-07-02.
  12. ^ Wrestling Observer Newsletter,May 12, 2008
  13. ^ Vanderlei Speaks (Reprint). Fight Sport (August 2, 2005). Retrieved on 2008-05-12.

[edit] External links