Introduction
Rodrigo Gracie (born March 11, 1975) is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. A member of the famous Gracie family, Rodrigo is a 5th Degree Black Belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and a Gold Medalist in the 1998 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship. While competing in PRIDE Fighting Championships, Gracie was ranked amongst the top Middleweight fighters from 2003 to 2004 due to an undefeated streak with consecutive victories over Hayato Sakurai, Daiju Takase, Yuki Sasaki, and Daijiro Matsui.
Biography
Member of the Gracie family of Brazil.He is the son of Jiu-Jitsu Grandmaster Reylson Gracie and grandson of the founder of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Carlos Gracie. Rodrigo began training Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 4 and was awarded the black belt at the age of 18 under his father. He then came to the United States to teach at his father's academy in California. A few years later, he went to New York City to train and work with his cousin Renzo Gracie.
Looking for new challenges and opportunities Rodrigo moved to Los Angeles, California where he was welcomed by his cousin Royce Gracie. Rodrigo and Royce have started to train together as well as spend a lot of time as a family. Gracie is the head instructor at the Rodrigo Gracie Academy in Palos Verdes, California. Rodrigo also travels conducting seminars all over the world and in some of the "Royce Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Networks".
Books
Gracie has co-written three instructional books on Brazilian jiu-jitsu with author Kid Peligro; “Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu No Holds Barred!: Fighting Techniques”, “Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: The Path to the Black Belt”, and “The Complete Guide to Gracie Jiu-Jitsu”.
Championships and accomplishments
Submission grappling
- ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship
- ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship Gold Medalist - 1998
- ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship Bronze Medalist - 2001
- North American Grappling Association
- 4-Time North American Grappling Association Champion
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
- 5th Degree Black Belt in Gracie Jiu Jitsu
Mixed martial arts
- PRIDE Fighting Championships
- Undefeated in PRIDE Fighting Championships (4-0)
- K-1 Heros
- Hero's 2006 Light Heavyweight Grand Prix Quarterfinalist
- MARS Japan
- MARS World Grand Prix Finalist
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 9 matches | 6 wins | 2 losses |
| By submission | 2 | 0 |
| By decision | 4 | 2 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| No contests | 0 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 6–2–1 | Shungo Oyama | Decision (majority) | Hero's 6 | August 5, 2006 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | Hero's 2006 Light Heavyweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal. |
| Draw | 6–1–1 | Hidetaka Monma | Draw | MARS World Grand Prix | February 4, 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 6–1 | Kiuma Kunioku | Decision (unanimous) | Hero's 2 | July 6, 2005 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Loss | 5–1 | B.J. Penn | Decision (unanimous) | Rumble on the Rock 6 | November 20, 2004 | 3 | 5:00 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| Win | 5–0 | Hayato Sakurai | Decision (unanimous) | PRIDE Bushido 2 | February 15, 2004 | 2 | 5:00 | Yokohama, Japan | |
| Win | 4–0 | Daiju Takase | Decision (unanimous) | PRIDE Bushido 1 | October 5, 2003 | 2 | 5:00 | Saitama, Saitama, Japan | |
| Win | 3–0 | Yuki Sasaki | Decision (split) | PRIDE 24 | December 23, 2002 | 3 | 5:00 | Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan | |
| Win | 2–0 | Daijiro Matsui | Technical Submission (guillotine choke) | PRIDE 19 | February 24, 2002 | 3 | 0:28 | Saitama, Saitama, Japan | |
| Win | 1–0 | Kyle DeMello | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Vengeance at the Vanderbilt 10 | November 10, 2000 | 1 | 0:34 | Plainview, New York, United States |