- Born
- Height6′ 1″ (1.85 m)
- Royce Gracie, of the legendary Gracie family, is one of the most prolific and influential MMA fighters in history. He became an 'underdog' hero while changing the landscape of combat sports and revolutionizing martial arts forever. After winning the first UFC Tournament(s) (UFC1, UFC2, UFC4), he proved that with the knowledge of his father's fighting style (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) a "David" could beat a "Goliath". Royce is the only fighter in history to defeat four opponents in the same night; unlike today, these tournaments had no weight divisions, no time limits and no real rules. In Brazil they were called "Vale Todo" in America it became 'no-holds-barred' and was quickly ruled illegal throughout most of the U.S. In 2003, Royce was the first fighter inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. His record of 'victories via submissions' remain untouched. Today he's considered an icon, a pioneer, and "The Godfather" of a sport that will be celebrating it's 20th anniversary, November 12th 2013.- IMDb Mini Biography By: sportsIll
- SpouseMarianne Cuttic(1994 - present) (filed for divorce, 4 children)
- Gender / Gender identityMale
- Gi
- A legend and pioneer in the sport of mixed martial arts, he is widely considered to be the most influential figure in the history of modern MMA
- Causing little to no harm to his much larger opponents
- Grappling
- Choke
- Won the very first Ultimate Fighting Championship by defeating boxer Art Jimmerson, fellow ultimate fighter Ken Shamrock, and Dutch kick-boxer Gerard Gordeau, all in one night.
- Fought in the longest mixed martial arts fight in the modern era against Japanese fighter Kazushi Sakuraba at the Pride Grand Prix 2000. The fight lasted almost 2 hours and ended only when Gracie threw in the towel due to a broken foot.
- His father Hélio Gracie is the creator of Gracie-style jiu jitsu.
- Had an amateur JuJitsu Record of 51-3.
- In 1993, the brainchild of Royce's older brother, Rorion Gracie and fight promoter Art Davie, the UFC was born.
It was an eight-man single-elimination tournament with very few rules that would award $50,000 to the winner. The basic premise was to find out how different styles of martial arts would fare against each other. Art Davie placed ads in martial arts magazines and sent letters to anyone in any martial arts directory he could find to recruit competitors for the event.
It was understood that Rickson Gracie, the larger, stronger brother and family champion, would be the one to fight as the Jiu-Jitsu representative; however, it was Rorion who chose Royce, the smaller and less assuming of the Gracies, to represent the family style.
- I would fight the devil himself if he stepped into the Octagon.
- Don't hurt your opponent if you don't have to, submit him.
- The idea of jiu-jitsu is to give the little guy a chance to beat the big guy.
- Jiu-Jitsu is like a philosophy. It helps me learn how to face life.
- A black belt only covers two inches of your as* - you have to cover the rest.
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