Happy Belated Birthday Rorion Gracie
by T.P. Grant on Jan 12, 2012 9:00 AM EST
in MMA History
Email
Print
In keeping with the Bloody Elbow tradition of belated birthday wishes, a day after Rorion Gracie's 60th Birthday is the ideal time to wish a true martial arts pioneer a happy birthday. Previous installments have included Helio Gracie (sadly on the occasion of his final birthday), Billy Robinson and Gene Lebell.
Rorion Gracie is the oldest son of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu co-founder Helio Gracie, and in his 60 years on this planet Rorion has had a huge impact on the martial arts world. Rorion was the man who brought Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to North America. His first trip to America was a classic road trip adventure that included having his airline tickets stolen from a YMCA safe, flipping burgers at a White Castle in California, and panhandling in Hawaii before he returned home to Brazil.
videos after the jump...
Rorion was determined to return to the United States to spread Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. So in 1978, armed with a black belt and law degree, Rorion moved to Southern California. He gained new students but he was constantly faced with martial arts instructors certain their martial art was superior. Rorion and his brothers were more than willing to accept challengers, and these challenge matches drew a crowd. Instructors from a wide variety of martial arts challenged the Gracies, and Rorion took part in many of these matches. If the the fights were video tapped, the winners retained rights to the video and the Gracies almost always won these challenge matches.
(Rorion Gracie spars a Hapkido instructor via subfightercom)
(Rorion and his brothers in matches against a Karate school in Brazil via RobbieH02879)
Rorion made extra money in between lessons cleaning houses in Hollywood and made friends in the movie industry. As a result, Rorion was an extra in several movies and TV shows and was a special consultant for Lethal Weapon. Rorion helped create the final fight sequence, and students of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu will recognize the sequence as being taken from the basic self-defense classes; including a headlock escape into an armbar and the triangle choke from the guard.
Jiu Jitsu was making an impact in Southern California but Rorion wanted to reach more of the United States.Rorion went to a friend and student John Milius, a filmmaker, about how he could best reach the largest number of Americans possible. Rorion wanted to use the concept of the challenge match and show the use of ground fighting in a no rules fight.
Milius put Rorion in touch with Art Davie, a promoter, and together the three of them came up with the the Ultimate Fighting Championships. Rorion insisted that there could no rules, no gloves, and no time limits, while Milius came up with the idea of an Octagon shaped cage. The UFC was born, and not only was it widely successful in spreading Brazilian Jiu Jitsu but also the sport of Mixed Martial Arts.
So from everyone here at Bloody Elbow, we'd like to wish Rorion a Happy Belated Birthday!
For more on Rorion's establishing the first American Gracie Academy and the UFC:
History of Jiu Jitsu: Coming to America and the Birth of the UFC
19 comments
|
1 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Happy birthday Rorion!
And thanks for the huge contribution to martial arts… i mean it’s not Seagal-level huge, but thanks nonetheless
Rorion offers his thanks and the opportunity to by the Gracie Jiu Jitsu Birthday Gift Opening Guide DVD for $149.99, 20% off the original price!
"Now you see that evil will always triumph, because good is dumb."
by menckenstein on Jan 12, 2012 9:50 AM EST reply actions 4 recs
*buy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Now you see that evil will always triumph, because good is dumb."
by menckenstein on Jan 12, 2012 9:50 AM EST up reply actions
he's brazilian.
So these birthday wishes are actually right on time.
Proud Member of "The Voices In Paul Harris' Head." The handsomest cyber-team on the inter webs.
by POW on Jan 12, 2012 10:43 AM EST via mobile reply actions 2 recs
HBDAY Grandmaster Rorion. Hey what challenge matches did the Gracie’s lose durring that time period?
not in the U.S. in the 80's
it was stripe mall martial artists versus seasoned Vale Tudo fighters basically. But in Brazil the Gracies lost or fought to a draw all the time.
To have a Cannae you must have a Varo
-George Patton
"The complete man must work, study and wrestle."
-Aristotle
Would love to see...
no rules and no weight classes again. Instead of midgets headlining UFC events and ridiculous P4P bullcrap.
flipping burgers at a White Castle in California,
I don’t think there has ever been a White Castle west of the Mississippi. In California we have In-and-Out.
Unless of course it was a one-off experiment.
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."
Mohandas Gandhi
"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."
Muhammad Ali
"If MMA is like dog fighting, those are some pretty fucking smart dogs."
"I don’t want to lick any butt."
GSP
Okay, I did some research
There was a location on Hollywood Blvd, one in Long Beach and one in Rancho Cucamonga. back in the 70s so the history with Rorion works.
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."
Mohandas Gandhi
"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."
Muhammad Ali
"If MMA is like dog fighting, those are some pretty fucking smart dogs."
"I don’t want to lick any butt."
GSP
And they are steamed, not flipped.
It's that the world is basically a forced labor camp from which the workers, perfectly innocent, are led forth by lottery, a few each day, to be executed.
I don't think that's just the way I see it. I think that's the way it is. Are there alternative views? Yes. Will any of them stand close scrutiny? No.
by memitim on Jan 12, 2012 2:22 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
it is a turn-of-phrase
To have a Cannae you must have a Varo
-George Patton
"The complete man must work, study and wrestle."
-Aristotle
I know, I’m just nudging you a bit, and White Castle is a near sacred institution here in the north east. Their steamed with onion preparation is divine.
It's that the world is basically a forced labor camp from which the workers, perfectly innocent, are led forth by lottery, a few each day, to be executed.
I don't think that's just the way I see it. I think that's the way it is. Are there alternative views? Yes. Will any of them stand close scrutiny? No.
by memitim on Jan 12, 2012 3:23 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Prepares you for the hours you'll spend at the porcelain altar
"Now you see that evil will always triumph, because good is dumb."
by menckenstein on Jan 12, 2012 3:33 PM EST up reply actions
Worth it.
It's that the world is basically a forced labor camp from which the workers, perfectly innocent, are led forth by lottery, a few each day, to be executed.
I don't think that's just the way I see it. I think that's the way it is. Are there alternative views? Yes. Will any of them stand close scrutiny? No.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Bloody Elbow
Related FanShots on Bloody Elbow
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
MMA Rankings
