Rickson Gracie FAQ

yeahiknow said:
Do you know what his expectations for kron are? Does he want him to compete in mma or does he just want him to run his school in L.A.
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Rickson has always been very vocal about his lack of expectations for his son. He is very aware of this for two reasons

1- Many argue that it was the tremendous pressure placed upon Rockson for being the son of "the great Rickson" that drove him towards drugs and a deviant lifestyle and led him to leave LA. That and the divorce. We all now how that turned out for Rockson.

2- The pressure over Kron from the BJJ community is immense. He was on a huge streak, I think over 50 matches won in a row by submission in the brown belt division. He lost his first fight as a black belt, to the eventual champion Sergio Moraes ( who split the title last year with Marcelo Garcia too), and there was a collective gasp of disappointment.

Rickson has mentioned in every single interview where the subject of Kron comes up that he's doing all he can to try and support his son against the huge pressure of not only being a Gracie, but being the son of Rickson Gracie. The kid is talented, but he is expected to win as if he were Rickson himself.

Rickson said that whatever Kron chooses to do, it's fine. Kron said that he has a lot to prove on the mat but he thinks one day it will be time to prove himself in the ring. Those are post-fight interviews from recent championships, you can likely find them on youtube.
 
More Rickson lore:

When I was visiting New Zealand I trained at an academy in Dunedin for about a week. The head instructor, who was Brazilian, told me of a time when Rickson came into a gym filled with blackbelts. He asked to roll with each and every blackbelt. One by one he tapped each with a simple cross collar choke from the mount. They asked how he did it, and he simply taught them this "basic" technique with the subtleties of a master. Needless to say, they left stunned.

My favorite Rickson quote:

"I believe intelligence and fear are very close together. Guys who say they are not afraid of anything, they are stupid. They are silly to me...I am afraid of everything"

This is truth. Read the story on Joe Warren on the front of the website; despite all of his cockiness you will read the part where he describes getting in the cage as scary.
 
I think Rickson in my mind comes close to having the same invincibility like Bruce Lee. From everyone who knew Bruce Lee they always talked about how fast and good he was, its the same for Rickson everyone talks about how great he is. Which I think that everyone is right Rickson is great. I kind of feel bad for kron not only is he born a gracie which has high expectations but his the son of Rickson. Wow
 
DonkeyKong said:
Rickson has a reason not to believe in cross-training. He has the same mentality as his father, Helio. Helio did not believe in winning fights. Some fights, he said, are impossible to win. He believed in not losing and not getting hurt. He had this belief, that the attacker is always at a disadvantage, and that a man with a perfect technique who does not attack , leaves no holes and can not be defeated.

Rickson believes that training in striking arts will deviate the focus from the principle of jiu jitsu, which is being safe, having no holes in your defense, and attacking when the opponent has an opening. He believes striking exchanges are something of a lottery and he does not believe in risks. He believes in control from beginning to end.

Because of that principle he pretty much advocates using only the principles behind jiu jitsu. This also led to the Big Nog controversy when he said that he wished Nog would believe more in his jiu jitsu and focus less on striking and more on safety, because he was always hurt in striking before finishing on the ground. Nog did not like that comment, even though Rickson also said that Nog was a legend, an admirable fighter with a great heart.

The thing about Rickson is that, because he is Rickson, whatever he says will have a lot of weight. And when he says something negative...well.... it affects people.

Likewise, Rickson said about 2 years ago, that he believed the level of jiu jitsu in MMA was not up-to-par, and that it could and should be applied better. Wanderlei took it personally and challenged Rickson, prompting Arona and Saulo Ribeiro to join the discussion , and creating a ruckus in the MMA world.
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If you could offer some more insight thatd be great. Is this what resulted after Wanderlei said that Rickson was living in a fantasy world. (When Rickson made a comment that he could beat Fedor E.?) Arona's take on it?

Id also like to compliment you on this thread. Im very impressed by your explanations and how well put together this thread is.

I dare say im also impressed that no morons from the HWs have made their way in here and making an attempt to ruin this thread... Yet...

Kudos!
 
BTTinUSA said:
If you could offer some more insight thatd be great. Is this what resulted after Wanderlei said that Rickson was living in a fantasy world. (When Rickson made a comment that he could beat Fedor E.?) Arona's take on it?

Id also like to compliment you on this thread. Im very impressed by your explanations and how well put together this thread is.

I dare say im also impressed that no morons from the HWs have made their way in here and making an attempt to ruin this thread... Yet...

Kudos!
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On Tatame magazine number 112, Rickson in an interview when asked about the current state of MMA said

" I wouldn't like to delve deep into this subject but, personally I feel like the technical aspect of MMA is sub-par right now. I'd rather not go too far into this."

He was referring to Jiu Jitsu,and was being as noncommittal as possible because he knows that whatever criticism he throws any way will rile a lot of feathers. No avail: most misunderstood as if he meant the sport as a whole.

This interview was the talk of the Brazilian MMA community for months and led to various responses. Arona, whom Rickson had picked to win the PRIDE 205 Grand Prix, defended him whereas Wanderlei, who at the time was still a hothead, replied publicly:

"I will place my title on the line against Rickson, if he chooses to prove what he said."

Rickson replied that if he was offered the fight by PRIDE, he would take it.

There was a split in the media at the time, with old-school guys supporting Rickson and mostly Chute Boxe members supporting Wand.

Arona then entered the discussion by saying that he would beat Wanderlei, using jiu jitsu, to prove the point. And so he did. And the issue was over, but that sparked the animosity that Wand still holds towards Rickson.


What many don't understand is that MMA community is still small. A mistranslated article from the Portal do Vale Tudo to here will quickly end up in Yahoo Sports, or in an article by Dave Meltzer and all the way back to the top guys via TATAME or Nocaute magazine, creating a mess due to a poor translation. Shit spirals down very fast, and feuds begin before an explanation even gets a chance to show up.
 
One thing I have noted is that the people who talk shit on Rickson have never met him.

But the people who have met him will make you believe everything you've ever heard and then some.

I remember very clearly Shane Rice describing the first time he met Rickson. "I was vibrating, bro. It was like meeting Darth Vader."

I choose to believe all the Rickson hype. I don't believe in Santa Clause, chi power or the dim mak, but I believe in Rickson.

Curiously, I have heard the story of Rickson tapping a roomful of black belts with the same technique several times - but each time a different technique is specified. So it either happened several times or is apocryphal. I prefer to believe Rickson chooses which technique he will tap them all with before he even walks in the door.
 
HEAVY GRAPPLER said:
One thing I have noted is that the people who talk shit on Rickson have never met him.

But the people who have met him will make you believe everything you've ever heard and then some.

I remember very clearly Shane Rice describing the first time he met Rickson. "I was vibrating, bro. It was like meeting Darth Vader."

I choose to believe all the Rickson hype. I don't believe in Santa Clause, chi power or the dim mak, but I believe in Rickson.

Curiously, I have heard the story of Rickson tapping a roomful of black belts with the same technique several times - but each time a different technique is specified. So it either happened several times or is apocryphal. I prefer to believe Rickson chooses which technique he will tap them all with before he even walks in the door.
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I too, heard from my former teacher, Ze Radiola (Braulio's teacher),a few years back, of when he met Rickson. He assumed a solemn look and just said " The guy is all that they say he is. I was nervous just to shake his hand."

It was a habit of Rickson, as well as Rolls, and some other select fighters (Carlos Gracie himself, for instance), to line up black belts for a rolling session. That was how they inspected their instructors, that was how they managed to train hard, and that was how they managed to build ever-growing reputations in BJJ.

Yes, they were that good, and yes, black belt lineups were commonplace when it came to them.

As for using the same technique, go no further than Roger Gracie's Mundial campaing this year. Every, single, match, won by a simple collar choke from the mount. I've heard firstahnd from world champions that Roger does lineups too, and beat them quite easily, although it has to be said that they were all lighter than Roger.
 
johil d'o said:
Rani is not a Rickson black belt.

Shane Rice got his black belt from Rickson.
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Rani is a black belt under 9th degree red belt master Armando Wriedt, taught directly by Helio Gracie and one of his instructors. Master Armando is now about 87 years old or so.
 
Man, I refused to read this thread for awhile thinking this was gonna be another lame Rickson thread...but wow...thanks for all the info!

You wouldn't happen to have any stories about Rolls would you?
 
Man, I refused to read this thread for awhile thinking this was gonna be another lame Rickson thread...but wow...thanks for all the info!

You wouldn't happen to have any stories about Rolls would you?
 
Very nice read...
Although I thought Helio's comments on Rickson's 400-0 record was calling it BS.
 
If you want to be a fighter, a warrior, it would be Rickson. I didn't know any of these guys back then or who was what. A friend of mine who I use to smack around in boxing started kicking my behind big time. He told me he was learning Jiu-Jitsu and to come with him to the academy because they were having an in house fight. (It was Royce and that Ninjitsu guy dressed all in black). So even though I didn't know anything about them or their reputation it was clear that Rickson was different. People tend to prop him up as some God but he's human like the rest of us and will grow old, weak and die. But though he is no God I think he was touched by the hand of God. He was given a gift. I once took Royce to this wrestling gym in Long Beach where these guys, all 250+, did submission wrestling. I actually started with them first and thought they were super men. Seeing Royce, this scrawny guy, just tap them over and over with virtually no effort made Royce to me seem like a God. How could anyone defeat him? Then watching him train with Rickson it was like a lion with his cub. I couldn't believe it! It almost looked fake. Like it was choreograph for a movie. And with Rickson Jiu-Jitsu was more than just a martial art. It was a way of life in the broadest sense. With Rickson, everything that you learn in Jiu-Jitsu applies to life. How do you overcome fear? Learn humility? (Rickson has never said, to my knowledge, that he was the best. I once asked him and he said it was not for him to say). Even how you fight is how you should live. You cannot force things in life to go your way. You cannot force people to do what you want them to do. You can encourage and coax them. You can take advantage of opportunities. Rickson never says I'm going to beat this guy with an armlock or this guy with a choke. He once told me his victories or defeats "will depend on what he (his opponent) gives to me and will or can I take it. Maybe he gives me nothing. There are no guarantees in life (sound familiar?). Maybe I give him something and he takes it....and then I lose. But since I was 18 no one has taken what I give and I have never missed taking what someone has given."

taken from Why isn't Rickson in Rorion's Tourney ?? This thread got me reading and I stumbled upon that thread which has wonderful stories.
 
This excerpt from Why isn't Rickson in Rorion's Tourney ?? is a bit creepy.

Anyway, Rickson was telling me he was bringing a Black-Belt from Brasil to help with the school. I was stoked because his only assistant was Limao who was still only a purple at that time. I said I hope the guy is good because my guard is getting way dangerous. Rickson just laughed and with a sly look said "I think he can take care of business." He told me he was the guy in the first Gracie in Action tape that participated in the fight with the Luta Livra (sp?) guys. Rickson said he was the guy in the last fight that mounted his opponent but instead of using a submission he just kept pounding him from the mount position. As he was telling me this he started swinging his fists in a very animated manner much as one would do while in the mounted position drawing even more strange looks from the people in the auto parts store. I said that I remembered that fight from the tape. "Man, that was brutal!" I commented. "What was that guy's name, anyway?" I asked. "His name is Marcelo Behring and he's my best student," Rickson replied, calming down and seeming to get serious. "Marcelo, huh? Well, that always sounded like a girl's name to me or some kind of chicken dish I'd get at an Italian restaurant but I'll give the guy a chance and see what he's made of, " I said, with mock bravado.

And from Marcelo Behring - OTMWiki Marcelo was a 5th degree Black Belt under Rickson Gracie. He was considered to be Rickson's top student. He died tragically in a drug deal gone bad in Brazil just days before he was to move to California to be Rickson's assistant instructor at his school there.

He was allegedly tied up and burned alive. I guess Rickson was trying to save him.
 
Man listening to all theses rickson facts make me want to go back to old school bjj
 
yeahiknow said:
Man listening to all theses rickson facts make me want to go back to old school bjj
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you really need to realise that 10thpjj is just bjj dude, its not some new way of grappling, its just eddies game mapped out into a 'system'
 
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