![]() ![]() A few months later, he and his brothers Royler and Rickson Gracie moved to Torrance, California to live with their older brother Rorion Gracie, who had moved there in 1978 and had established Gracie Academy. When he was 17, Royce was awarded a black belt by his father, Hélio. He had his first competition at age 8 and started teaching classes when he was 14 years old. One of the nine sons of jiu-jitsu grandmaster Hélio Gracie, he learned the martial art from his father in his childhood. Royce Gracie was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 12 December 1966. In 2016, he was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame. For his pioneering in mixed martial arts, Gracie was the first inductee to the UFC Hall of Fame in 2003 alongside his once-rival Ken Shamrock. Royce Gracie's success in the UFC popularized Gracie jiu-jitsu (commonly known as Brazilian jiu-jitsu) and revolutionized mixed martial arts, contributing to the movement towards grappling and ground fighting. Royce later competed in PRIDE Fighting Championships, where he is most remembered for his 90-minute bout against catch wrestler Kazushi Sakuraba in 2000, and a controversial "judo vs jiu-jitsu" mixed rules match against Hidehiko Yoshida, an Olympic gold medalist in judo, at Pride Shockwave in 2002. He was also known for his rivalry with Ken Shamrock, whom he beat in UFC 1 and then fought to a draw in the rematch for the Superfight Championship at UFC 5. He used his skills in submission grappling to defeat larger and heavier opponents. In 19, Gracie was the tournament winner of UFC 1, UFC 2 and UFC 4, which were openweight single-elimination tournaments with minimal rules. ![]() He also competed in PRIDE Fighting Championships, K-1's MMA events, and Bellator. He is a member of the Gracie jiu-jitsu family, a UFC Hall of Famer, and is considered to be one of the most influential figures in the history of mixed martial arts (MMA). Gracie gained fame for his success in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Royce Gracie ( Portuguese: born 12 December 1966) is a Brazilian retired professional mixed martial artist. ![]()
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