[div class=”notice” class2=”icon”]The following is from an article on DstryrSG, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div]
The Gracie Family is kind of like the royal family of BJJ. It’s sort of an odd, enigmatic thing, in my opinion. Even though people have been training BJJ for decades now, the individuals with direct lineage to Helio and Carlos are set apart from the others (and one could argue for good reason, since Helio and Carlos are the men who essentially created the style as we know it today).
Gracies are held to a very high standard by their own family and by the rest of us within the world of BJJ. They are clannish, yes, but at the same time, they are not out of reach (you can train with them, if you like). Some of them choose to compete in BJJ and grappling. Some fight in MMA. Some teach and do seminars. Some even make smoothies and invent sandwiches. Yeah. Gracie stuff. It’s its own thing.
Ralek Gracie, third son of Rorion (son of Helio – if you need me to tell you that) is really doing his own thing. He’s got serious BJJ black belt skills and fighting skills in general, having fought and won three times in Japanese MMA (DREAM and Hero’s, the highlight being his victory over legendary “Gracie Hunter,” Kazushi Sakuraba). He even competed in BJJ against me once and won! It was my first tournament 12 years ago. Damn him.
