Rickson Gracie FAQ

[Deleted member 245586]

 

[DonkeyKong]

Is it rude to bump?

 

[Ezra4Ever]

Not rude at all!

Great write up and FAQ!!!!

 

[deadlizard]

why is this thread not sticky?

 

[mastergracie**]

A true legend.

 

[JoniChi]

It was a good read! Even though I practice BJJ the men behind the game are kinda mystery to me.

 

[georgwilhelm**]

Unbelievably awesome thread! Thank you, DK!!

I have two questions, if you can help me out:

What is the relation between Rickson and Carlos Jr.? The latter claims to have learned from C Sr., Helio and Rolls, so he must be somewhat close to Rickson? On the other hand he is the head of GB and IBJJF. So his JJ must follow a radically different philosophy than Rickson's. Do you know whether Carlinhos is any good and whether Rickson has ever had a falling out with him over sport BJJ?

My second question is with regard to point zero. How does one maintain that when a seasoned striker tries to hit you in the face? How do you avoid injury? Is it not better to attack first (e.g. go for the takedown) instead of defending punches from a striker who knows how to open you up?

 

[DonkeyKong]

Hey georg,

- I'm not sure. Rickson did create the Budo challenge with different rules than the IFBJJ, but it died out. As far as I know they're not exactly close.

-As far as I know the point zero philosophy means that if you're safe and the guy tries to strike you, he opened himself up for a takedown. If you're trained enough and in the right mindset you can take him down then. Think of how Anderson catches almost all side kicks thrown at him.

 

[georgwilhelm**]

Thanks!

Do you know if Carlos Jr. is considered any good within the Gracie family? After all, he is what, an eighth degree BB? So we know Rickson and Rolls were best, Royce was good, Rorion not so much etc. How is Carlos Jr. seen in BJJ circles?

 

[DonkeyKong]

As a great businessman. Hi skill as a fighter has always been, and remains, quasi-irrelevant.

 

[Udub]

What an amazingly interesting read. This should be mandatory curriculum for anyone getting involved in BJJ. For me it's been a real pleasure discovering the background for the sport and one of the most important characters in it, as I've just begun my journey.

Thank you very much for taking the time to start this thread - and thank you to everyone who has participated in making this an awesome thread.

 

[kjg1672]

How was Rockson's jiu-jitsu?

 

[Ninjamurf]

How was Rockson's jiu-jitsu?

For some reason I want to say that Rockson was supposedly truly gifted? He was supposed to be the heir to the throne. And, granted, he was able to have some of the best instruction from the day he was born I think I remember hearing that he was shaping up to be another Gracie prodigy? Don't take this as gospel as it's been a few years now (sheesh, almost a decade) but I thought the word was that Rockson was better than Kron at various age levels in their life (meaning Rockson was better at age 14 than Kron was when he reached 14, and Rockson was better at 18 than Kron was when he got to 18, etc.) Now Rockson died too young to really influence the game and be a force, but if he was better than Kron? And Kron is one of the best in the world? Sheesh, who knows? Then again, it could be another case like Rolls/Rickson where it took the death of one to truly bring out the talent of the other?

 

[georgwilhelm**]

As a great businessman. Hi skill as a fighter has always been, and remains, quasi-irrelevant.

thank you. do the gracies (or people really close to them, those who know rickson etc) also see it that way?

 

[nemosson]

2 days, several hours, but well worth the read! I've learned much from this thread, thanks to all who added to it!

 

[KGB256]

For some reason I want to say that Rockson was supposedly truly gifted? He was supposed to be the heir to the throne. And, granted, he was able to have some of the best instruction from the day he was born I think I remember hearing that he was shaping up to be another Gracie prodigy? Don't take this as gospel as it's been a few years now (sheesh, almost a decade) but I thought the word was that Rockson was better than Kron at various age levels in their life (meaning Rockson was better at age 14 than Kron was when he reached 14, and Rockson was better at 18 than Kron was when he got to 18, etc.) Now Rockson died too young to really influence the game and be a force, but if he was better than Kron? And Kron is one of the best in the world? Sheesh, who knows? Then again, it could be another case like Rolls/Rickson where it took the death of one to truly bring out the talent of the other?

My understanding was that Rockson was not only a gifted grappler, but a tremendous hard worker with a true passion for the art. In contrast, Kron has suggested in interviews that he felt a sense of obligation to get into competitive jiu-jitsu and that he feels the pressure of living up to his family name.

 

[KarateFist]

Thanks!

Do you know if Carlos Jr. is considered any good within the Gracie family? After all, he is what, an eighth degree BB? So we know Rickson and Rolls were best, Royce was good, Rorion not so much etc. How is Carlos Jr. seen in BJJ circles?

I've never heard Rorion being referred to as not so good, everything I've read said he was very technical and a fantastic teacher, not sure what you're baseing it on.

 

[Dudixon]

Awesome thread. Was late for work because I couldn't stop reading before I reached the last page. Is Rickson still doing seminars? It would be cool if he decided to visit UK. I wish he would decide to write a book to share his insight and so that we could get a better understanding what's going on inside his head. Do you think there is a chance Budo videos would do a rolled up episode with him?

 

[HanaiBrother]

First off, this is an amazing thread. Kudos to everyone for supplying such a wealth of knowledge.

Second, does anyone know why Bas Rutten vs Rickson Gracie never materialized? In the link below, Rickson is visibly present in the audience and Bas challenges him immediately after defeating Kengo Watanabe. This was September 14, 1998, and both fighters would each fight twice more before retiring due to tragedy and injury, respectively. So what happened to arguably the biggest unrealized Rickson Gracie fight (besides Sakuraba, of course)?

Bas Rutten vs Kengo Watanabe

 

[Title Fight Productions]

Per Wilson Junior. Head of Carlson Gracie team UK.

Back in those days, *Rickson Gracie was a legend in Rio , I remember when 50 guys from Luta Livre invaded the Gracie academy on a afternoon and just Helio was there. One guy (Hugo duarte) wanted to have a one to one with Rickson , so Helio rang up Rickson