Renzo Gracie

Renzo Gracie (born March 11, 1967, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is a Brazilian martial artist, 7th-degree coral belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and one of the most influential figures in the spread of BJJ to North America. A third-generation member of the Gracie family, he is the grandson of Carlos Gracie Sr. (co-founder of Gracie jiu-jitsu), the son of Robson Gracie, and the brother of Ralph and the late Ryan Gracie. COMPETITIVE CAREER Renzo was a dominant grappling competitor in Brazil through the late 1980s and 1990s, winning the Copa Atlântico Sul four consecutive years (1988–1991). In submission grappling, he won the ADCC World Championship twice: at 77 kg in 1998 and again in 2000. He was inducted into the ADCC Hall of Fame in February 2022. In mixed martial arts, Renzo compiled a professional record of 14–7–1 (1 NC) across a career spanning 1992 to 2018. He fought in virtually every major organization of the era: PRIDE Fighting Championships, the UFC, K-1, RINGS, EliteXC, the International Fight League, and ONE Championship. Notable victories include a sixth-round guillotine choke of Sanae Kikuta at PRIDE 2 (1998), a guillotine finish of Pat Miletich in the IFL (2006), and a rear-naked choke of Yuki Kondo at ONE Championship (2018) at age 51. His most famous loss came at PRIDE 10 (August 2000), when Kazushi Sakuraba dislocated his elbow with a kimura. Rather than tap, Renzo allowed the arm to break — a moment that, paradoxically, cemented his reputation for extraordinary toughness. He also suffered a TKO loss to Matt Hughes at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi (2010) and a knockout by Dan Henderson at PRIDE 13 (2001). THE ACADEMY THAT CHANGED AMERICAN BJJ In 1996, Renzo founded Renzo Gracie Academy in Midtown Manhattan, New York City — initially operating above a methadone clinic before moving to 224 West 30th Street. The academy became arguably the most important BJJ gym in the Western world, not for a single dominant competitor, but for the extraordinary ecosystem of talent it produced. Renzo’s coaching philosophy was pragmatic and results-oriented: if a technique worked, it was adopted regardless of tradition or lineage orthodoxy. This open-minded approach attracted a remarkable collection of students and instructors who went on to reshape combat sports: • John Danaher — arrived from New Zealand in the early 1990s as a Columbia University philosophy PhD student, received his black belt from Renzo in April 2002, and became the academy’s head instructor. At Renzo’s gym, Danaher developed the systematic approach to submission grappling that produced the Danaher Death Squad (Gordon Ryan, Garry Tonon, Craig Jones, Nicky Ryan, Nick Rodriguez), a team that dominated no-gi competition from roughly 2015 to 2023. • Matt Serra — trained under Renzo from the academy’s early days, later became UFC Welterweight Champion (2007) with one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. • Ricardo Almeida — BJJ world medalist and successful MMA fighter who trained alongside Danaher and Serra. • Georges St-Pierre — widely considered the greatest welterweight in MMA history, trained regularly at Renzo’s academy and credits it as central to his development. • Other notable figures include Chris Weidman, Frankie Edgar, Gunnar Nelson, and Shawn Williams (who received his black belt the same night as Danaher in April 2002). The academy’s influence extended well beyond competition. Anthony Bourdain trained there in his final years, and figures from entertainment, finance, and politics passed through its doors. As of 2026, the Renzo Gracie network includes over 70 affiliated academies globally. PERSONALITY AND CONTROVERSIES Renzo is widely beloved in the BJJ community for his charisma, humor, and accessibility. He is also known for several publicized physical altercations outside the gym, including a 2014 incident at a New York nightclub (1OAK) that led to his arrest for gang assault, and a 2022 subway confrontation in NYC. These incidents are primarily documented through social media posts by Renzo himself and media reports of varying reliability; his own accounts of these events should be understood as self-reported narratives. He served as Ambassador of International Tourism for Embratur under President Bolsonaro in 2019, and has been photographed with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov during BJJ seminars — associations that have drawn criticism. PUBLICATIONS AND LEGACY Renzo co-authored two instructional books: “Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory and Technique” with Royler Gracie (2001) and “Mastering Jujitsu” with John Danaher (2003). He received his coral belt (7th degree) from Rickson Gracie in January 2023. Renzo’s greatest legacy is not his own competition record but the culture he built. By creating an environment where innovation was prized over tradition, he enabled the development of the Danaher system, the rise of modern no-gi grappling, and the training of multiple UFC champions — making his academy the single most consequential BJJ institution outside Brazil. Sources: Wikipedia; ADCC official records; UFC official records; PRIDE Fighting Championships records; Renzo Gracie Academy official website (accessed April 2026). Note that details of Renzo’s street altercations are primarily sourced from his own social media accounts and should be treated as self-reported.