Post by Super Machine on Jan 30, 2009 0:29:49 GMT -5
Helio Gracie, the father of Royce and Rickson Gracie, passed away in his sleep this morning according to a report by GracieMag.com.
He was admitted to the hospital a few days earlier with stomach problems.
Gracie was 95. Gracie was often at ringside for Royce's matches and was a staple at the early UFC events. He was sometimes billed as the father of Gracie Jiu Jitsu, and as the person who came up with a style of fighting that allowed a smaller man to defeat a larger man through defensive skills and submissions.
In actuality, he was trained by older brother, Carlos Gracie, although as a small man, he advanced the art to allow him to stay in and defeat larger men. While at first billed as undefeated, he did have two well-known losses during the 1950s where Vale Tudo fights were mainstream news, most notably against judo master and future pro wrestler Masahiko Kimura and is believed to have had a 9-2-7 record in documented fights.
He taught all of his sons Jiu Jitsu, with Royce, Rickson and Royler becoming early MMA stars. But it was son Rorion, who along with Art Davie, brought the concept of the UFC to Bob Meyrowitz and Campbell McLaren, that led to the first UFC competition in 1993 and the roots of the creation of MMA as a sport in 1993.
Courtesy of the Wrestling Observer
He was admitted to the hospital a few days earlier with stomach problems.
Gracie was 95. Gracie was often at ringside for Royce's matches and was a staple at the early UFC events. He was sometimes billed as the father of Gracie Jiu Jitsu, and as the person who came up with a style of fighting that allowed a smaller man to defeat a larger man through defensive skills and submissions.
In actuality, he was trained by older brother, Carlos Gracie, although as a small man, he advanced the art to allow him to stay in and defeat larger men. While at first billed as undefeated, he did have two well-known losses during the 1950s where Vale Tudo fights were mainstream news, most notably against judo master and future pro wrestler Masahiko Kimura and is believed to have had a 9-2-7 record in documented fights.
He taught all of his sons Jiu Jitsu, with Royce, Rickson and Royler becoming early MMA stars. But it was son Rorion, who along with Art Davie, brought the concept of the UFC to Bob Meyrowitz and Campbell McLaren, that led to the first UFC competition in 1993 and the roots of the creation of MMA as a sport in 1993.
Courtesy of the Wrestling Observer
