Ralph Gracie

Ralph Gracie (born May 25, 1971) is a Brazilian martial artist who has competed in mixed martial arts.^{[3][4][5][6][7][8]} He is the son of Robson Gracie and brother to Charles Gracie, Renzo Gracie and the late Ryan Gracie of the Gracie family.^{[9][10][11] [12]}

Mixed martial arts career[]

Ralph's 1995 American debut was featured in the short-lived Battlecade Extreme Fighting events.^[12][13][14] Gracie won fights versus Makoto Muraoka, Steve Nelson, and Ali Mihoubi, the longest of which lasted a minute and thirty-four seconds. In sharp contrast to the typical "passive" Gracie approach, Ralph's aggressive and often brutal approach earned him the nickname of "The Pitbull".^{[2][12][15][16][17][18][19]}

In 2003, Ralph ended his absence from fighting to pit his skills against modern MMA fighters, earning a decision win over Dokonjonosuke Mishima.^[20][21][22] The following year, he suffered a loss to Takanori Gomi, who stopped Gracie in six seconds with knee strikes to the head in what would be Gracie's last MMA fight.^{[12][23][24][25]}

Upon retirement, Gracie held a record of six wins and one loss in sanctioned fights. He holds a fifth degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and has won several BJJ tournaments. Ralph also owns and operates a series of martial arts academies in California, as well as Florida, (specializing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) and has been doing so for over a decade.

Academies[]

Ralph Gracie currently has four academies in the San Francisco Bay Area (San Francisco, San Jose, Berkeley, Santa Clara and Dublin) and two in Orange County (Anaheim and Chino Hills); the largest of these being the San Francisco Academy. Notable instructor, and 6th degree black belt, Luis Eduardo Fraga, has been head instructor at the Berkeley Academy since 2007.^{[26][27][28][29][30]}

Gracie taught former UFC welterweight and lightweight champion, BJ Penn, when he first came to California from Hawaii.

In late 2016, Ralph Gracie Florida academy opened in the city of Port Orange, Volusia county, under 5th degree black belt Regis Calixto.

In early 2021, Ralph Gracie Jiu-Jitsu issued a public statement on an incident concerning the head instructor at an affiliate gym, whereby he harassed the parent of a former student and left a voicemail including threats and a racial slur.^[31]

Championships and accomplishments[]

• Extreme Fighting Championship
  • EFC Lightweight Championship (1 time, first, only)^[32]
  • 1995 EFC Lightweight Tournament Winner^[33]

Legal issues[]

On April 9, 2019, a warrant was issued for a felony charge in Orange County, California; Gracie and his student, Lincoln Jeferson Pereira, were charged with felony assault for attacking Flavio Almeida of Gracie Barra off the mats at the 2018 IBJJF World No-Gi Championships.^[34][35] Gracie fled to Brazil after the incident and did not appear to following court hearings, leading to being indicted for felony assault with an enhancement for inflicting great bodily injury. Gracie failed to enter a plea in his case and did not show up to several hearings. A pretrial date was set for December 8, 2020, and a jury trial date was for 2021.^[36] Gracie pleaded guilty to assault for an unprovoked attack and he was sentenced to six months in jail.^[37] He was subsequently released after serving only three months of his sentence, reportedly due to good behaviour.^[38]

Mixed martial arts record[]

References[]

External links[]

• RalphGracie.com Official home page
• Professional MMA record for Ralph Gracie from Sherdog