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Rolles Gracie

Rolls Gracie's eldest son took ADCC silver in 2007, lost a UFC debut he later said he should never have taken, and now runs his own academy in New Jersey.

Last updated: 7 October 2026

Biography

Rolles Gracie, born in Rio de Janeiro on July 14, 1978, is the eldest son of Rolls Gracie and a grandson of Carlos Gracie. He became a heavyweight grappler who reached the final of the 2007 ADCC World Championship, and in 2009, three fights into his mixed martial arts career, Sherdog profiled him under the headline "The Next Great Gracie?" What followed was a single UFC appearance he later said he should never have accepted, a five-fight winning streak, a spell in Japanese professional wrestling and three stoppage defeats. He now runs his own academy in New Jersey. A father known through stories Rolles was four, and his brother Igor two, when their father died in a hang-gliding accident. Talking to Sherdog in 2009, he said he still remembered his father setting him down on the mat to roll and play. Most of what he knew about him, he explained two years later, came from what his uncles told him. In their telling, Rolls had carried jiu-jitsu from an older, more defensive style toward a more aggressive modern one. Rolles said he tried to keep the same open mind, pointing to his own study of judo and wrestling and to how much he enjoyed fighting on the feet. Igor and a younger brother, Gregor, also went on to fight in MMA. He did not describe the family name as a burden. "Pressure is like a myth," he told Sherdog in 2011, adding that his family would respect him just as much if he chose only to train and teach and never to compete. Back to the mat According to BJJ Heroes, his first jiu-jitsu came from his father and his grandfather, and he stopped training after his father died. The same source says he came back in 1996 with help from his uncle Rilion Gracie, training at Rilion's academy in Santa Catarina in the south of Brazil, and also worked with his uncle Carlinhos Gracie (Carlos Gracie Jr.) at Gracie Barra in Rio. In 1998 he moved to Boca Raton, Florida. Jiu-jitsu schools were scarce there, so he took up judo and did well in competition before returning to Rio in 1999 to focus on jiu-jitsu again. Accounts of who promoted him to black belt differ. BJJ Heroes credits Carlinhos, who it says guided his progress after 1999 and gave him the belt a few years later. On the competition side, BJJ Heroes lists Brazilian national titles in 1996 at blue belt and 1999 at purple belt, a Brazilian national team title in 2000 and a Grapplers Quest title in 2005. Sherdog's 2009 feature likewise called him a two-time Brazilian national champion. His biggest grappling result came at the 2007 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in Trenton, New Jersey. In the over-99 kg division he beat Márcio "Pé de Pano" Cruz 3-0 on points in the semifinal, then lost the final 4-0 on points to Fabrício Werdum, who scored two takedowns, and finished second. In the absolute division, open to all weights, Marcelo Garcia submitted him on the way to the final. New York and the move to MMA According to BJJ Heroes, Rolles settled in New York City in 2004, where he assisted his older cousin Renzo Gracie with teaching and got ready for a career in MMA. His professional debut came on September 20, 2007, at the IFL 2007 Team Championship Final, where he fought for Renzo's New York Pitbulls and finished Sam Holloway with a rear-naked choke in the first round. In 2009 he fought twice for the Art of War promotion in China and won both by first-round submission: Magomedbag Agaev in May, and in September the Australian kickboxer Peter Graham, in 1:43. That left him unbeaten in three fights. Sherdog listed him at six feet four inches and about 250 pounds. That year also gave him a second training base. Rolles told Sherdog that his manager, who had trained with Greg Jackson in Albuquerque, put him in touch with Rashad Evans. Evans liked his jiu-jitsu and invited him to his camp after his fight with Lyoto Machida, and there Rolles met Jackson. BJJ Heroes says he went on to split his training between Albuquerque and Renzo's academy. Renzo Gracie said in January 2010 that Rolles went to Jackson's gym for bigger training partners but still competed under the Renzo Gracie team banner. According to BJJ Heroes, Rolles promoted Evans, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, to black belt on January 2, 2010. Asked about it a few days later, Renzo said the belt reflected that Evans should compete in the top division of no-gi grappling, where entering the black-belt category requires a belt from a certified instructor, and he set it apart from a black belt in the gi. UFC 109 In 2009 Rolles had said that fighting in the UFC was every fighter's dream, but that he wanted to arrive only when he felt ready, not to go there and come straight back. His debut came at UFC 109 in February 2010, only the fourth professional fight of his career. His opponent, Joey Beltran, had stepped in for Mostapha Al-Turk. Rolles took the fight to the ground and controlled the early exchanges, but he was spent by the second round, and the referee stopped the bout while Beltran landed strikes. The UFC released him soon afterward. A year later he was blunt about it. He told Sherdog he should not have taken the fight: four weeks out he hurt his foot and assumed it was a sprain, but "it was actually broken," and he trained lightly for the rest of camp. He said he had also underestimated Beltran and lacked the conditioning for the fight, and that the loss taught him more than all of his wins put together. The comeback, Japan and the last fights After the UFC he won five straight: Braden Bice at UCC 4 in April 2011, Lee Mein at Wreck MMA that October, and two bouts for ONE FC in 2012, first against Bob Sapp in February, stopped in the opening round when Sapp gave up to strikes, then against Tony Bonello in August. The fifth came on December 31, 2012, at Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2012, where he submitted Yusuke Kawaguchi with an arm-triangle choke in the first round. Outside MMA, he spent part of 2013 and 2014 in Japanese professional wrestling. In October 2013 he and Daniel Gracie appeared at New Japan Pro-Wrestling's King of Pro-Wrestling event and issued a challenge. Yuji Nagata and Kazushi Sakuraba, whose MMA bouts with members of the family had earned him the nickname Gracie Hunter, accepted, and the tag match at Wrestle Kingdom 8 in the Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2014, ended in a disqualification loss for the Gracies. In the rematch in Osaka on February 11, 2014, Rolles submitted Sakuraba. The Gracies won further tag matches that spring, and on May 25, 2014, Rolles lost his first singles match, to Sakuraba. His last three recorded MMA bouts all ended in stoppage losses. Derrick Mehmen knocked him out in the second round at WSOF 5 in September 2013. In October 2014 he challenged Karol Bedorf for the KSW heavyweight title at KSW 28 and was stopped in the first round. In May 2015, at KSW 31, he met Mariusz Pudzianowski, the former strongman and five-time World's Strongest Man, and was stopped after 27 seconds. That is the last fight on his Sherdog record, which stands at eight wins and four losses: seven of the wins by submission and one by TKO, and every loss by knockout or TKO. The academy Rolles is listed as the founder of Rolles Gracie Academy, a school in Old Bridge, New Jersey, that teaches Brazilian jiu-jitsu to children and adults. The academy describes him as a sixth-degree black belt; in 2009 Sherdog had him at second degree.

Sources for this profile

BJJ Heroes, "Rolles Gracie" (fighter biography).(opens in a new tab)
- BJJ Heroes gives his nickname as "Rollezinho" (little Rolls), and notes he is sometimes called Rolls Gracie Junior.
  Where in the source: Nickname row — "Rollezinho".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- According to BJJ Heroes, Rolles was born on July 14, 1978, in Rio de Janeiro and first came to jiu-jitsu through his father and his grandfather Carlos Gracie; after his father's death he stepped away from training.
  Where in the source: Biography section, first paragraph — "born July 14, 1978".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- BJJ Heroes says he returned to grappling in 1996 with the help of his uncle Rilion Gracie, his father's younger brother, at Rilion's academy in Santa Catarina in southern Brazil, and also trained with his uncle Carlinhos Gracie (Carlos Gracie Jr.) at Gracie Barra in Rio de Janeiro.
  Where in the source: Biography section, first paragraph (continued) — "Santa Catarina".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- BJJ Heroes lists his main jiu-jitsu results as Brazilian national champion in 1996 (blue belt) and 1999 (purple belt), Brazilian national teams champion in 2000 and Grapplers Quest champion in 2005.
  Where in the source: Main Achievements list — "1996 – blue".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- BJJ Heroes says that in 1998 he moved to Boca Raton, Florida, where there were few jiu-jitsu schools, so he took up judo and did well in competition; in 1999 he went back to Rio to pursue jiu-jitsu.
  Where in the source: Biography section, second paragraph — "picked up Judo practice".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- Conflicting accounts
  BJJ Heroes says Carlinhos Gracie helped him progress after his return to Rio in 1999 and awarded him his black belt a few years later; it gives his lineage as Mitsuyo Maeda, Carlos Gracie Sr., Carlos Gracie Jr., Rolles Gracie.
  Where in the source: Biography, second paragraph — "awarded him his black belt"; Lineage row.
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- BJJ Heroes says that in 2004 he moved to New York City to work with his older cousin Renzo Gracie, helping with his classes while preparing for an MMA career, and that in 2009 he joined Greg Jackson's team, dividing his training between Albuquerque and Renzo's academy.
  Where in the source: Biography section, third and fourth paragraphs.
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- According to BJJ Heroes, Rolles awarded Rashad Evans, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, a black belt on January 2, 2010.
  Where in the source: Biography, fourth paragraph — "January 2nd 2010".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
Sherdog, "Rolles Gracie MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography" (fighter record page).(opens in a new tab)
- Sherdog's fighter record lists Rolles Gracie as born on July 14, 1978, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
  Where in the source: Profile header, age row — "JUL 14, 1978"; location line above the name reads Brazil, Rio de Janeiro.
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- Rolles Gracie's professional mixed martial arts record on Sherdog is 8 wins and 4 losses: seven wins by submission and one by TKO, with all four losses by knockout or TKO.
  Where in the source: Profile summary boxes WINS and LOSSES, and the Fight History - Pro table (12 rows).
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- He made his professional MMA debut on September 20, 2007, submitting Sam Holloway with a rear-naked choke in the first round at the IFL 2007 Team Championship Final.
  Where in the source: Fight History - Pro table, last row — "IFL - 2007 Team Championship Final".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- In 2009 he won two first-round submissions for the Art of War promotion in China: against Magomedbag Agaev at Art of War 12 on May 23, 2009, and against Peter Graham at Art of War 14 on September 26, 2009, in 1:43.
  Where in the source: Fight History - Pro table, rows for AOW 12 - Invincible and AOW 14 - Ground Zero.
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- After his UFC loss he won his next four bouts: Braden Bice at UCC 4 (April 22, 2011), Lee Mein at Wreck MMA (October 28, 2011), Bob Sapp at ONE FC 2 in a first-round TKO by submission to strikes (February 11, 2012), and Tony Bonello at ONE FC 5 (August 31, 2012).
  Where in the source: Fight History - Pro table, rows from UCC 4 - Supremacy up to One FC 5 - Pride of a Nation.
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- On December 31, 2012, he submitted Yusuke Kawaguchi with an arm-triangle choke in the first round at IGF's Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2012, a bout Sherdog counts in his professional MMA record.
  Where in the source: Fight History - Pro table, row IGF - Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2012.
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- His last three recorded MMA bouts were stoppage losses: to Derrick Mehmen by knockout in round two at WSOF 5 (September 14, 2013), to Karol Bedorf by TKO in round one at KSW 28 (October 4, 2014), and to Mariusz Pudzianowski by TKO after 27 seconds at KSW 31 (May 23, 2015).
  Where in the source: Fight History - Pro table, top three rows (WSOF 5, KSW 28 - Fighters' Den, KSW 31 - Materla vs. Drwal).
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
Marcelo Alonso, "The Next Great Gracie?", Sherdog, October 13, 2009.(opens in a new tab)
- A 2009 Sherdog feature described Rolles as the oldest son of Rolls Gracie and noted that he had needed only 1:43 to beat the Australian kickboxer Peter Graham, leaving him unbeaten after three fights.
  Where in the source: Opening paragraphs — "needed only 1:43".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- In October 2009 Sherdog described him as a two-time Brazilian national champion in jiu-jitsu.
  Where in the source: Third paragraph — "two-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu national champion".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- Rolles told Sherdog in 2009 that his manager, who had trained with Greg Jackson in Albuquerque, introduced him to Rashad Evans; Evans liked his jiu-jitsu and invited him to his training camp after the Lyoto Machida fight, where Rolles met Jackson.
  Where in the source: Quote in fourth paragraph — "invited me to his camp".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- Rolles said his uncles described his father as a bridge between old and modern jiu-jitsu who made the art more aggressive than the earlier, more defensive style.
  Where in the source: Quote after the paragraph on his family — "a bridge between".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- Rolles said he was four years old, and his brother Igor two, when their father died in a hang-gliding accident, and that he remembered his father putting him on the mat to roll and play.
  Where in the source: Same quote, second half — "only 4 years old".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- In October 2009 Sherdog described him as a second-degree black belt, standing 6 feet 4 inches and weighing about 250 pounds.
  Where in the source: Paragraph before the UFC quote — "A second-degree black belt".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- In 2009 Rolles said that fighting in the UFC was every fighter's dream, but that he wanted to go there only when he felt ready rather than go and come straight back.
  Where in the source: Quote under the UFC paragraph, beginning with the biggest showcase in MMA.
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
Mike Whitman, "With Lessons Learned, Rolles Gracie Seeks Big League Return", Sherdog, April 22, 2011.(opens in a new tab)
- Rolles debuted in the UFC at UFC 109 in February 2010, in only his fourth professional fight, against Joey Beltran, a late replacement for Mostapha Al-Turk; he controlled the early going on the ground but tired in the second round, and the referee stopped the fight as Beltran landed strikes. He was released by the UFC shortly afterwards.
  Where in the source: Second and third paragraphs — "in just his fourth professional fight".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- Looking back in 2011, Rolles said he should not have taken the UFC 109 fight: an injury to his foot four weeks before turned out to be a fracture, he eased off in camp, underestimated Beltran and lacked conditioning, and he said he learned more from that loss than from all his wins.
  Where in the source: Two quotes after 'Speaking exclusively to Sherdog.com' — "it was actually broken".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- Sherdog described Rolles Gracie as Brazilian.
  Where in the source: Second paragraph — "The 32-year-old Brazilian".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- Rolles said he tried to follow his father's open-minded approach, having studied judo and wrestling and loving stand-up fighting, and that what he knew of his father came largely from his uncles' stories; he also said he felt no family pressure to compete and would be respected even if he only trained and taught.
  Where in the source: Paragraphs on his father and on family support — "keep my mind open"; "Pressure is like a myth".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
Chris Palmquist, "Renzo Gracie comments on Rashad's black belt", MixedMartialArts.com, January 7, 2010.(opens in a new tab)
- Asked about Rolles promoting Rashad Evans to black belt, Renzo Gracie said it recognised that Evans should compete in the highest division of no-gi grappling, where a black-belt division requires a belt from a certified instructor, and distinguished it from a gi black belt.
  Where in the source: First interview answer — "gi-less grappling competitions".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- Renzo Gracie said in January 2010 that Rolles trained at Greg Jackson's gym for bigger sparring partners, but still fought under the Renzo Gracie team banner.
  Where in the source: Second interview answer — "he fights under our banner".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
Jordan Breen, "ADCC: Gracie Wins Superfight", Sherdog, May 7, 2007.(opens in a new tab)
- At the 2007 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in Trenton, New Jersey, Rolles reached the final of the over-99 kg (218 lb and over) division by beating Marcio "Pe de Pano" Cruz 3-0 on points in the semifinal, then lost the final to Fabricio Werdum, who won 4-0 on points with two takedowns; Rolles took second place.
  Where in the source: Paragraph on the men's 218-pounds-and-over division — "4-0 points win".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- In the 2007 ADCC absolute division, Marcelo Garcia submitted Rolles on his way to the final.
  Where in the source: Paragraph on the men's Absolute division — "Mario Miranda, Rolles Gracie and Cacareco".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
Wikipedia, "Rolles Gracie Jr.", last edited 15 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)
- Rolles is the eldest son of Rolls Gracie (1951–1982) and a grandson of Carlos Gracie, and the older brother of the mixed martial artists Igor and Gregor Gracie.
  Where in the source: Personal life section — "eldest son of Rolls Gracie".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- In the IFL he fought for the New York Pitbulls, the team of his cousin Renzo Gracie.
  Where in the source: Mixed martial arts career, first paragraph — "New York Pitbulls in the IFL".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- In October 2014 he challenged Karol Bedorf for the KSW heavyweight championship at KSW 28, and in May 2015 he faced Mariusz Pudzianowski, the former strongman and five-time World's Strongest Man winner, at KSW 31.
  Where in the source: KSW section, two paragraphs — "KSW Heavyweight Championship".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- In October 2013 Rolles and Daniel Gracie appeared at New Japan Pro-Wrestling's King of Pro-Wrestling event and issued a challenge that Yuji Nagata and Kazushi Sakuraba — known as the Gracie Hunter for his MMA bouts with members of the Gracie family — accepted for a tag match at Wrestle Kingdom 8 in the Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2014; the Gracies lost that match by disqualification.
  Where in the source: Professional wrestling career section — "King of Pro-Wrestling".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- In the February 11, 2014, rematch at NJPW's The New Beginning in Osaka, Rolles submitted Sakuraba for the win; the Gracies also won tag matches in April and May 2014, and on May 25, 2014, Rolles lost his first singles match, to Sakuraba.
  Where in the source: Professional wrestling career section, latter half — "Rolles submit Sakuraba".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
Rolles Gracie Academy, "About Us".(opens in a new tab)
- Rolles Gracie Academy describes Rolles Gracie as a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
  Where in the source: About Us, closing site description — "sixth degree black belt".
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
- Rolles Gracie Academy describes Rolles Gracie as a sixth-degree black belt.
  Where in the source: About Us, closing site description (repeated on every page) — same phrase as c35.
  Accessed: 2026-09-28
Rolles Gracie Academy, "Meet the team".(opens in a new tab)
- Rolles Gracie is listed as the founder of Rolles Gracie Academy in Old Bridge, New Jersey, which teaches Brazilian jiu-jitsu to children and adults.
  Where in the source: Meet the Team — Professor Rolles Gracie, title "Founder"; footer address Old Bridge, NJ.
  Accessed: 2026-09-28

Competition results

Recorded tournament results, newest first
Year	Event	Result	Division
2007	ADCC 2007Source: adcombat.com+99 kgNo-giVerified	2nd place	+99 kgNo-giVerified

Lineage

No teaching connections are shown on this page.

Open lineage