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Ralph Gracie

Creator credit recorded on the linked source page: Senator Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri's Facebook page · Public domain

Ralph Gracie

“The Pitbull”

Source: sherdog.com

Ralph Gracie carried a Rio competition career into professional fighting, teaching, and an academy network centered in San Francisco.

Biography

Ralph Gracie is a Rio de Janeiro-born Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor and former professional fighter whose career runs from Rio tournament teams to an academy network centered in San Francisco. Born in 1971, he is widely listed under the nickname “The Pitbull.” BJJ Heroes attributes that name to the tenacity he showed during his early vale tudo career, including his appearances in Extreme Fighting. According to BJJ Heroes, Gracie trained extensively with Carlos Gracie Jr. during the early Gracie Barra period, represented the team in tournaments around Rio, and received his black belt from Carlos Jr. The same source lists him as a Rio de Janeiro state champion, Rio Sports Centre champion, Torneio do Grajaú champion, and AABB open-weight champion. His Brazilian jiu-jitsu results are not preserved with equal detail: the available source does not provide dates or complete division tables for those titles, so the list should not be read as an exhaustive competition record. His professional fight record has clearer boundaries. Sherdog records seven professional bouts between 1992 and 2004, with six wins and one loss. That record includes three Extreme Fighting bouts and two appearances in PRIDE Bushido. It documents a compact career rather than a fight-by-fight measure of everything Gracie did in vale tudo or grappling. BJJ Heroes reports that Gracie moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1990s after an invitation from Cesar Gracie. It says the two initially worked together before Ralph opened his own academy and developed a regional competition team. Student Alan “Gumby” Marques places himself at Ralph's original Mountain View academy in 1996, providing a first-person marker for the school's early years. Today, the Ralph Gracie Jiu-Jitsu directory identifies San Francisco as its headquarters and lists locations in California and several other U.S. states, though the current Ralph-controlled sites do not agree on an exact academy count. Gracie's teaching record is clearest in specific promotions. Marques says Ralph awarded him his black belt in 2006 and gave him Ralph's old black belt. A 2008 ADCC News item reported that Gracie promoted Don Geddis, Jason Collard, and Mikyo Riggs to black belt within a short period. The competition team also appears in official results: Sean Roberts won the adult men's blue-belt light division at the 2007 IBJJF World No-Gi Championship while representing Ralph Gracie. The Ralph Gracie Jiu-Jitsu site describes more than three decades of teaching and says its California academies are led by black belts trained directly under him. As of 2026, Ralph's separate personal site also placed him at Gracie Kore in Barra da Tijuca. The two current roles are presented separately: Gracie Kore reflects his activity in Rio, while the academy network continues to identify San Francisco as its headquarters.

Sources for this profile

  • Ralph Gracie, “Transformando vidas através do esporte,” accessed 8 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • Ralph Gracie's current personal site states that he was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1971.

      Where in the source: Uma trajetória, seis capítulos — 1971 · Nascido no Rio de Janeiro

      Accessed:

    • Ralph's current personal site says he is active at Gracie Kore in Barra da Tijuca and describes more than thirty years of teaching work.

      Where in the source: De volta ao Rio — Presente na Gracie Kore · 30+ anos formando pessoas

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Heroes, “Ralph Gracie” (publication date not shown), accessed 8 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • BJJ Heroes reports that Ralph trained extensively with Carlos Gracie Jr. during the early Gracie Barra period, represented that team in Rio-area tournaments, and received his black belt from Carlos Jr.

      Where in the source: Position (our description): training and black-belt paragraph. Exact anchors: “trained extensively” · “awarded Ralph his black belt”

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes attributes the “Pitbull” nickname to the tenacity Ralph displayed in Extreme Fighting and says it became his trademark.

      Where in the source: Position (our description): nickname row. Exact anchors: “The Pitbull” · “became his trademark”

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes says Ralph moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1990s after an invitation from Cesar Gracie, initially worked with Cesar and later opened his own academy and built a regional competition team.

      Where in the source: Position (our description): Bay Area paragraph. Exact anchors: “San Francisco Bay Area” · “partnered up with Cesar”

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes lists Ralph as a Rio de Janeiro state champion, Rio Sports Centre champion, Torneio do Grajaú champion and AABB open-weight tournament champion.

      Where in the source: Position (our description): achievements list. Exact anchor: “AABB Tournament Champion”

      Accessed:

  • Sherdog, “Ralph ‘The Pitbull’ Gracie” (publication date not shown), accessed 8 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • Sherdog lists Ralph Gracie under the nickname “The Pitbull.”

      Where in the source: Ralph Gracie — “The Pitbull”

      Accessed:

    • Sherdog records seven professional fights for Ralph between 1992 and 2004: six wins and one loss, including three Extreme Fighting bouts and two PRIDE Bushido bouts.

      Where in the source: WINS 6 · LOSSES 1 · FIGHT HISTORY - PRO — Pride - Bushido 3 May / 23 / 2004 · Pride - Bushido 1 · EF 3 · EF 2 · EF 1 · Desafio - Gracie Vale Tudo Jan / 01 / 1992

      Accessed:

  • Ralph Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, home page (publication date not shown), accessed 8 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • The current Ralph Gracie Jiu-Jitsu site identifies San Francisco as its headquarters and says Ralph has spent more than three decades teaching, with California academies led by black belts trained directly under him.

      Where in the source: HEADQUARTERS SAN FRANCISCO · ABOUT — spent over three decades mastering and teaching · six academies in California, each one steered by black belts who have trained directly under his guidance

      Accessed:

  • Ralph Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, “United States” locations directory (publication date not shown), accessed 8 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • The current academy directory presents a Ralph Gracie Jiu-Jitsu network with San Francisco as headquarters and named locations in California and several other U.S. states.

      Where in the source: UNITED STATES — HEADQUARTERS San Francisco · CALIFORNIA · FLORIDA · IDAHO · ILLINOIS · LOUISIANA · OREGON · TEXAS · WASHINGTON

      Accessed:

  • Alan “Gumby” Marques, “Ralph Gracie,” GumbyOTM.com, 7 February 2025.(opens in a new tab)

    • Alan “Gumby” Marques says he began training at Ralph's original Mountain View academy in 1996 and that Ralph awarded him his black belt in 2006 and gave him Ralph's old black belt.

      Where in the source: Ralph Gracie — started training Jiu Jitsu at the original Mountain View Academy in 1996 · awarded my black belt from Ralph in 2006 · he actually gave me HIS old black belt

      Accessed:

  • Kid Peligro, “Don Geddis Gets it – His Black Belt that is,” ADCC News, 6 May 2008.(opens in a new tab)

    • A May 2008 ADCC News item reported that Ralph awarded black belts to Don Geddis and, within the preceding two weeks, Jason Collard and Mikyo Riggs.

      Where in the source: Don Geddis Gets it — received his Black Belt in Jiu Jitsu from Ralph Gracie · also awarded Jason Collard and Mikyo Riggs

      Accessed:

  • International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, “World Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi IBJJF Championship 2007,” official results, accessed 8 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • The official 2007 IBJJF World No-Gi results place Sean Roberts, representing Ralph Gracie, first in the adult men's blue-belt light division.

      Where in the source: Adult / Blue / Male / Light — 1 Sean Roberts Ralph Gracie

      Accessed:

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