Gracie Jiu-jitsu is probably the most famous type of jiu jitsu. It originated in Brazil, when the Gracie family became involved with a man named Mitsuyo Maeda who was sharing the fighting techniques his master had developed in Japan. The Gracies, in particular Hélio, proved adept at the techniques they developed through their personal training and they began to fight in competitions that showcased how they were able to defeat larger and stronger opponents, despite their smaller size.
As he grew more competent, Hélio introduced the world to the beginnings of Gracie Jiu-jitsu in a series of high profile matches. Despite not necessarily winning these matches, Hélio won acclaim for lasting far longer than anyone thought he would be able to against stronger and more experienced opponents. In 1951 he fought Masahiko Kimura, then considered to be the greatest jiu jitsu fighter in the world. Kimura claimed that should the match last longer than three minutes, then Hélio should be considered the winner; Hélio lasted for thirteen. In 1955, the longest fight in the world occurred when Hélio held off a fighter twenty years his junior and forty pounds heavier for three hours and forty minutes.
When Rorion Gracie, Hélio’s son, left Brazil to bring Gracie Jiu-jitsu to America, he intended to carry on his father’s legacy. The Gracies wanted to create jiu-jitsu academies to share the martial art techniques that they had adapted after decades of intense study with the rest of the world, and the United States was the perfect place to do so. Though Rorion initially struggled in setting up his Brazilian Jiu jitsu academy, he won increasingly larger numbers of students mainly by issuing the Gracie challenge. This was a call to any fighter of any discipline to meet him in hand-to-hand combat in order to see whose discipline was stronger.
All of this was creating an awareness of Gracie Jiu-jitsu in the martial arts world, but it was soon going to become practically a household name. Mixed martial arts tournaments were gathering a lot of interest in the late 80s and early 90s, as the quest to determine which martial art was the best was in full force. The Ultimate Fighting Championship was born out of this interest and in 1993 the first of many tournaments was held. Royce Gracie proved that jiu jitsu was a force to be reckoned with when he won that championship, and then did it again and again.
Gracie Jiu-jitsu continues to be one of the most respected disciplines out there, and it certainly is one of the most famous. More fame was added when the US military chose the Gracie style of fighting as their chosen method to train US soldiers in hand-to-hand combat. There are Brazilian jiu jitsu academies across North America that sport the Gracie name, and many of Hélio’s descendents continue to prove themselves and his legacy by besting others in competitions.
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