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Ralph Gracie

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Ralph Gracie
Born (1971-05-25) May 25, 1971 (age 53)
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil[1]
Other namesThe Pitbull[2]
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st)
DivisionLightweight
StyleBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu
TeamRalph Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
Rank5th deg. black belt in BJJ[3] under Carlos Gracie Jr.
Mixed martial arts record
Total7
Wins6
By submission5
By decision1
Losses1
By knockout1
Websitewww.ralphgracie.com Edit this at Wikidata
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Ralph Gracie (born May 25, 1971) is a retired Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and jiu-jitsu black belt. A member of the famed Gracie family, he is the son of Robson Gracie and the brother of 11 Gracies, including Charles Gracie, Renzo Gracie and the late Ryan Gracie.[4]

Early life

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Ralph Gracie was born on 25 May 1971, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Like most members of the Gracie family, he started practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu from a young age, training extensively with his uncle Carlos Gracie Jr. who awarded him his black belt when Gracie was twenty one. In the early days of Gracie Barra, he became a strong representative of the team in many local tournaments.[5] In the 1990s Gracie moved to the United States at the invitation of his cousin Cesar Gracie.[5]

Mixed martial arts career

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Gracie's 1995 American debut was featured in the short-lived Battlecade Extreme Fighting events.[6][7][8] Gracie won fights versus Makoto Muraoka, Steve Nelson, and Ali Mihoubi, the longest of which lasted a minute and thirty-four seconds. In sharp contrast to the typical "passive" Gracie approach, Gracie's aggressive and often brutal approach earned him the nickname of "The Pitbull".[2]

In 2003, Gracie ended his absence from fighting to pit his skills against modern MMA fighters, earning a decision win over Dokonjonosuke Mishima.[9][10][11] The following year, he suffered a loss to Takanori Gomi, who stopped Gracie in six seconds with knee strikes to the head in what would be Gracie's last MMA fight.[6][12][13][14]

Upon retirement, Gracie held a record of six wins and one loss in sanctioned fights.[15] He holds a fifth degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and has won several BJJ tournaments.[citation needed]

Academies

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Gracie owns and operates a series of martial arts academies in California, as well as Florida, (specializing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu). Gracie owns eight academies in Northern California (Berkeley, Richmond, Dublin, Sacramento, Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Jose, and Vacaville) and two in Southern California (Anaheim and Chino Hills); with the largest being the San Francisco Academy. Most recently, the academy in Richmond opened and instructed by Igor Estrella.[16] Notable instructor, and 6th-degree black belt, Luis Eduardo Fraga, has been head instructor at the Berkeley Academy since 2007.[17]

Gracie taught former UFC welterweight and lightweight champion, B.J. Penn, when he first came to California from Hawaii. Gracie also taught other prominent black belts such as Kurt Osiander, the Camarillo brothers, Scot Nelson, and more.[18]

In late 2016, Ralph Gracie Florida academy opened in the city of Port Orange, Volusia county, under 5th-degree black belt Regis Calixto.

In early 2021, Ralph Gracie Jiu-Jitsu issued a public statement on an incident concerning the head instructor at an affiliate gym, whereby he harassed the parent of a former student and left a voicemail including threats and a racial slur.[19]

Championships and accomplishments

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  • Extreme Fighting Championship
    • EFC Lightweight Championship (1 time, first, only)[20]
    • 1995 EFC Lightweight Tournament Winner[20]

Attack on Flavio Almeida

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On 15 December 2018, Gracie assaulted 5-time World Champion Flavio Almeida, Gracie Barra’s North America Executive Director, elbowing him in the face on the sidelines of the 2018 World No-Gi Championships in Anaheim.[21] According to prosecutors, after Almeida was knocked unconscious to the ground, Gracie, and one of his student Lincoln Pereira, continued to kick him in the head. Almeida reportedly suffered serious injuries as a result including a concussion and two broken teeth.[21] The attack allegedly came from Gracie not wanting Almeida to set up a Gracie Barra franchise near one of his schools.[3]

Gracie fled to Brazil after the assault and a warrant from the Orange County District Attorney's office was issued for his arrest in April 2019.[22] Gracie failed to appear to four consecutive court appearances. A pretrial date was set for December 8, 2020, and a jury trial date was for 2021.[23] Gracie pleaded guilty to a felony assault charge for the unprovoked attack and he was sentenced to 180 days in jail, three years formal probation, a $50,000 fine and anger management.[21][24] He was subsequently released after serving three months of his sentence, the reason for his early release being unclear.[25] According to his court statement, Gracie felt "tremendous remorse" for attacking Almeida.[26][27]

As a consequence of the attack, and in the wake of the video evidence, Gracie received a lifetime ban from the IBJJF, the largest Brazilian jiu-jitsu organization in the world led by his uncle Carlos Gracie Jr.[28] Gracie is forbidden to compete, act as a coach, or participate in another IBJJF event for the rest of his life.[29]

Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
7 matches 6 wins 1 loss
By knockout 1 1
By submission 4 0
By decision 1 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 6–1 Takanori Gomi KO (knees) PRIDE Bushido 3 May 23, 2004 1 0:06 Yokohama, Japan
Win 6–0 Dokonjonosuke Mishima Decision (unanimous) PRIDE Bushido 1 October 5, 2003 2 5:00 Saitama, Japan
Win 5–0 Steve Nelson Submission (armbar) Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 11 September 1, 1998 1 13:14 Amarillo, Texas, United States
Win 4–0 Ali Mihoubi Submission (armbar) Extreme Fighting 3 October 18, 1996 1 1:34 Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Win 3–0 Steve Nelson TKO (submission to punches) Extreme Fighting 2 April 28, 1996 1 0:44 Montreal, Canada
Win 2–0 Makoto Muraoka Submission (rear-naked choke) Extreme Fighting 1 November 18, 1995 1 0:40 Wilmington, North Carolina, United States Won EFC Lightweight Tournament and EFC Lightweight Championship[20]
Win 1–0 Geraldo Silva Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) Desafio – Gracie Vale Tudo January 1, 1992 1 0:25 Brazil

References

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  1. ^ "Ralph Gracie". Pridefc.com; PRIDEFC Official Website. Archived from the original on September 30, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Jake Rossen (September 2004). Gracies in Action. Black Belt. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
  3. ^ a b "MMA Fighter Ralph Gracie Gets 6 Months In Jail For Anaheim Assault". CBS Los Angeles – KCAL9 and CBS2 News, Sports, and Weather. January 22, 2021.
  4. ^ Andre Alex Lima (April 1997). Who's Who in Gracie Ju Jitsu. Black Belt. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
  5. ^ a b "Ralph Gracie". BJJ Heroes. January 22, 2012.
  6. ^ a b Gareth A Davies (January 18, 2008). "BJ Penn set for Joe Stevenson UFC showdown". The Telegraph. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
  7. ^ "Ralph Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Chicago | Chicago Martial Arts: Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai Kickboxing, and Mixed Martial Arts". March 14, 2013. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ David M. Herzenhorn (November 19, 1995). "Barred in New York, 'Extreme Fighting' Moves On". New York Times. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
  9. ^ "Black Belt". Black Belt. February 2004. Retrieved April 1, 2013. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. ^ Black Belt. Black Belt. September 2004. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
  11. ^ "DUBLIN INSTRUCTOR CASHES IN". Contra Costa. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
  12. ^ Damon Martin (September 26, 2005). "Takanori Gomi: On Top Of The World". MMAWeekly.com. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
  13. ^ "East Meets West On Ultimate Fight Night 21 Conference Call – FIGHT!". fightmagazine.com. March 23, 2010. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
  14. ^ "Pride Bushido Volumes 1–5 DVD Review". Wrestling101.com. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
  15. ^ "The Gracie Family Tree". Attack The Back. May 9, 2019.
  16. ^ "Ralph Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Richmond". ralphgracierichmond.com.
  17. ^ "Eduardo Fraga". Ralphgracieberkeley.com. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
  18. ^ "Ralph Gracie: If You Make A Mistake I'll Hit You In The Head". BJJ World. July 3, 2018.
  19. ^ "Ralph Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Releases Statement on Instructor's Racist Outburst". February 5, 2021.
  20. ^ a b c "Mixed Martial Arts". www.prowrestlinghistory.com.
  21. ^ a b c Fera, Lei Lani (January 22, 2021). "Professional Mixed Martial Artist Ralph Gracie Sentenced on Felony Assault Charge". Orange County District Attorney.
  22. ^ "Ralph Gracie Wanted For Felony Assault of Flavio Almeida at IBJJF No-Gi Worlds". Jiu-Jitsu Times. April 20, 2019.
  23. ^ Rollo, Ian (October 30, 2020). "Trial Date Set For Ralph Gracie In Assault Case".
  24. ^ "MMA fighter Ralph Gracie gets jail in unprovoked assault of 5-time Jiu-Jitsu world champion in Anaheim: DA". KTLA. January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  25. ^ "Ralph Gracie Released from Prison Early". April 23, 2021.
  26. ^ "MMA Fighter Ralph Gracie Misses Court Date, Judge Issues Fugitive Warrant". NBC Los Angeles. August 21, 2019.
  27. ^ "MMA's Ralph Gracie Gets 6 Months In Jail for '18 Elbow Attack Caught on Video". TMZ. January 22, 2021.
  28. ^ "Ralph Gracie and Flavio Almeida: The story so far". Breaking Grips. November 19, 2019.
  29. ^ "IBJJF Announces Suspension of Ralph Gracie After Worlds Assault". Jiu-Jitsu Times. December 21, 2018.
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