Description

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grandmaster and member of the Gracie family. Son of Hélio Gracie, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest BJJ practitioners of all time. Undefeated in MMA (11-0, all by submission), he won the Vale Tudo Japan tournament in 1994 and 1995, and defeated Nobuhiko Takada at Pride 1 and Pride 4. He is president of the Jiu-Jitsu Global Federation (JJGF) and features in the documentary Choke (1999).

Teachers (1)

• 
  Hélio Gracie

  sports_martial_artsBrazilian jiu-jitsu Confirmed

  Confirmed

  Rickson is the son of Hélio Gracie and trained under him from childhood; awarded black belt at 18

  The evidence establishes the claim: it is sufficient and consistent, and any conflicting evidence is resolved.

  (1965)

  fact_checkassessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  2 sources expand_more

  fact_check

  Rickson is the son of Hélio Gracie and trained under him from childhood; awarded black belt at 18

  “Treinador Hélio Gracie (BJJ)”

  — Wikipedia contributors. (2026). Rickson Gracie - Wikipedia (Portuguese). Wikipedia (Portuguese)link history info

  visibilityFirst-hand

  “Helio Gracie's third son Rickson was born into Gracie Jiu Jitsu [...] was awarded his black belt by his father at eighteen”

  — (2022). Rickson Gracie: Aboutlink history info

Lineage

• Brazilian jiu-jitsuHélio Gracie ← Carlos Gracie · 2 generations

Ranks (1)

• sports_martial_artsBrazilian jiu-jitsu

  receipt_longRed belt, degree 9 Probable

  Probable

  Portuguese Wikipedia and BJJ Heroes confirm 9th degree red belt; Rorion Gracie named as promoter

  The evidence favours the claim and nothing credible contradicts it, but it falls short of establishing it.

  BJJ Ranking System

  granted by Rorion Gracie

  fact_checkassessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  1 source expand_more

  fact_check

  Portuguese Wikipedia and BJJ Heroes confirm 9th degree red belt; Rorion Gracie named as promoter

  “9º grau Faixa vermelha de BJJ, pelo seu irmão Rorion Gracie”

  — Wikipedia contributors. (2026). Rickson Gracie - Wikipedia (Portuguese). Wikipedia (Portuguese)link history info

Students (5)

• person
  Sergio Malibu

  sports_martial_artsBrazilian jiu-jitsu Probable

  Probable

  Single source.

  The evidence favours the claim and nothing credible contradicts it, but it falls short of establishing it.

  fact_checkassessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  1 source expand_more

  fact_check

  Single source.

  “After the death of Rolls, Malibu became a student of Rickson”

  — Drysdale, Robert. (2023). The Rise and Evolution of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: From Vale-Tudo, to Carlson Gracie, to its Democratization info
• person
  Royler Gracie

  sports_martial_artsBrazilian jiu-jitsu Probable

  Probable

  His own account only.

  The evidence favours the claim and nothing credible contradicts it, but it falls short of establishing it.

  fact_checkassessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  1 source expand_more

  fact_check

  His own account only.

  visibilityFirst-hand

  “Rolls, with whom I trained with a lot when I was a kid, then I began training with Rickson.”

  — Drysdale, Robert. (2023). The Rise and Evolution of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: From Vale-Tudo, to Carlson Gracie, to its Democratization info
• 
  Romero Cavalcanti

  sports_martial_artsBrazilian jiu-jitsu Confirmed

  Confirmed

  BJJ Heroes and BJJ Fanatics both record that after Rolls Gracie's death Cavalcanti trained at Rickson Gracie's academy in Humaita for about three years before opening his own academy in 1985

  The evidence establishes the claim: it is sufficient and consistent, and any conflicting evidence is resolved.

  (1982–1985)

  fact_checkassessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  2 sources expand_more

  fact_check

  BJJ Heroes and BJJ Fanatics both record that after Rolls Gracie's death Cavalcanti trained at Rickson Gracie's academy in Humaita for about three years before opening his own academy in 1985

  “As Romero witnessed the terminus of his academy, he chose to start training with Rickson Gracie at his academy in the Humaita area of Rio de Janeiro.”

  — BJJ Heroes. Romero Jacare Cavalcanti (BJJ Heroes). BJJ Heroeslink history info

  “então Romero viu a sua academia se desmembrar e decidiu mudar-se para academia de Rickson Gracie, por onde passou cerca 3 anos, antes de abrir a sua própria academia em 1985.”

  — Romero Jacare Celebra 67 Anos - BJJ Fanatics BR link
• person
  Marcelo Behring

  sports_martial_artsBrazilian jiu-jitsu Probable

  Probable

  Single source.

  The evidence favours the claim and nothing credible contradicts it, but it falls short of establishing it.

  fact_checkassessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  1 source expand_more

  fact_check

  Single source.

  “Marcelo Behring – Son of Grandmaster Flavio Behring and also Rickson’s student, he was one of the most dominant jiu-jitsu players in the 80s and early 90s in Brazil.”

  — Drysdale, Robert. (2023). The Rise and Evolution of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: From Vale-Tudo, to Carlson Gracie, to its Democratization info
• 
  Jean Jacques Machado

  sports_martial_artsBrazilian jiu-jitsu Confirmed

  Confirmed

  Rickson Gracie's own memoir names him as his student and describes his training in Rio as a teenager.

  The evidence establishes the claim: it is sufficient and consistent, and any conflicting evidence is resolved.

  fact_checkassessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  3 sources expand_more

  fact_check

  Rickson Gracie's own memoir names him as his student and describes his training in Rio as a teenager.

  visibilityFirst-hand

  “I got to know Jean Jacques well when he was a teenager and began to travel to Rio to train with me.”

  — Rickson Gracie; Peter Maguire. (2021-06-02). Breathe: A Life in Flowinfo

  visibilityFirst-hand

  “I had not trained with the Machado brothers in a while, but they were also my students.”

  — Rickson Gracie; Peter Maguire. (2021-06-02). Breathe: A Life in Flowinfo

  “Jean Jacques decided to learn from him instead. As a young teenager, Machado would take the train from his home in Teresopolis to Rio and spend entire days watching his cousin teach private lessons, observing and absorbing every detail.”

  — Maguire, Peter. (2026-06-05). Jean Jacques Machado link history info

Sources

Identifiers