Patriarch Helio Gracie came to the United States with the intention of opening the country’s eyes to Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. His sons took turns carrying their father’s torch.
“When I met the Gracies and their father, Helio Gracie, as the whole thing was happening, they were trying to get people to come to their dojo, and the whole purpose of the first UFC, regardless of what anyone tells you, it was geared toward the Gracies and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu,” McCarthy said. “Look at Rorion and the other sons. Before there was anything called UFC, we were going to martial arts shows and high school gymnasiums and introducing people to Rorion Gracie and to sell Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. It was originally intended to be an infomercial, a live infomercial about Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
“Helio was the one godfather of MMA, not Bruce Lee, who a lot of people who don’t know like to say,” he added. “Helio Gracie fought real fights. Bruce Lee was an actor who fought in the movies and on TV. Helio Gracie fought real fights and took on Masahiko Kimura. Helio would fight anyone and is the true godfather of what MMA is today.”
There was, however, one clandestine Gracie edict, according to Davie.
“No wrestlers; the Gracies didn’t want anything to do with wrestlers,” he said. “That limited us a little more. We were trying to sell a bunch of guys on something they never heard of, with the exception of the Gracie name. I brought in guys from Japan that were considered to be national idols, but it was the wrestlers that freaked out Rorion a little. The Gracies knew they could beat anyone associated with mixed martial arts.”
They were not so sure about wrestlers, which is why two-time Olympic gold medalist Bruce Baumgartner, Olympians Mark Coleman and Dan Henderson and of pair of collegiate All-Americans, Mark Kerr and Randy Couture, were never asked to compete.
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