Ralph Gracie

Ralph Gracie (the Pitbull; born May 25, 1971) is a Brazilian martial artist who has competed in mixed martial arts. He is the son of Robson Gracie and brother to Charles Gracie, Renzo Gracie and the late Ryan Gracie of the Gracie family.

Ralph's 1995 American debut was featured in the short-lived Battlecade Extreme Fighting events. Gracie won fights versus Makoto Murauko, 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".

In 2003, Ralph ended his absence from fighting to pit his skills against modern MMA fighters, earning a decision win over Dokonjonosuke Mishima. 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.

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 (specializing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) and has been doing so for over a decade.

Ralph Gracie currently has four academies in the San Francisco Bay Area (San Francisco, Mountain View, Berkeley, and Dublin) and two in Orange County (Anaheim and Chino Hills); the largest of these being the San Francisco Academy. Kurt Osiander, who has been studying under Ralph Gracie for 17 years, is currently head instructor at the San Francisco Academy. Notable instructor, and 4th degree black belt, Luis Eduardo Fraga, has been head instructor at the Berkeley Academy since 2007.

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