Carlson Gracie

Carlson Gracie was one of the most important figures in jiu jitsu, and still is considered today to be one of the best representatives of the sport both as a competitor and as coach through his Carlson Gracie Academy. His legacy will live for many years to come, as many of the world’s premiere BJJ teams came generated from his lineage, teams such as Nova Uniao, American Top Team (ATT), Brazilian Top Team (BTT), Nova Geração and many others.

Carlson Gracie Jiu Jitsu

Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Carlson Gracie

Fight Record (MMA/Vale Tudo):

• 18 fights, one loss (to Euclides Pereira by decision)

Weight: 67 to 72kg

Team/Association: Gracie Jiu Jitsu/Carlson Gracie

Carlson Gracie Biography

Carlson Gracie was born on the 13th of October, 1932 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was the son of Gracie Jiu Jitsu Founder Carlos Gracie and he became a top competitor in No Holds Barred matches during the 50’s and 60’s era. He was also one of the finest Jiu Jitsu coaches to have ever lived. His life was filled of turmoil with family feuds as well as scuffles with his own students, though he will always be remembered as a warm hearted person who made history in the sport and as one of the greatest BJJ masters to have ever lived.

Born in 1932, he started competing at the tender age of 5 at the “Campeonato Aberto de Jiu Jitsu e Luta Livre” and open championship between BJJ (plain Jiu Jitsu in those days) and wrestling. At the age of 17 he won the “Campeonato Carioca de Jiu Jitsu” Rio de Janeiro’s first State Jiu Jitsu Championship. He was never a avid student, though most of his academic failure came due to the long trips he and his uncles would make to different parts of the country looking for ways to display their family’s legacy (Gracie Jiu Jitsu). At the age of 15 he left school to dedicate himself fully to fighting.

His first professional fight came when he was 18 against the Judo wiz Sakai who weighed 92kg against Carlson’s 67kg. That fight was in grappling rules where no strikes were allowed and it ended in a draw as none of the two managed to submit each other during the arranged period. After this fight, Carlson Gracie released a press note challenging anyone in the country to come and fight him. This fight’s revenue would go to a charity fund towards the victims of the drought that was devastating the country’s Northwest region (in which his family had strong ties). Cirandinha, a 100kg Capoeira fighter took the challenge and Carlson defeated him after a verbal tapout due to strikes from the mount.

Carlson continued to compete always trying to improve his skillset, at the age of 23 he faced one of Brazil’s most renowned fighters, Waldemar Santana was his name, and he had already on his resume a Knockout win over one of Carlson Gracie’s mentors, his uncle Helio Gracie. Carlson’s father Carlos Gracie went on record stating that he would give 300,000 real (a fortune in those days) if Waldemar managed to survive his son’s superior technique. Unfortunately for Carlos, Waldemar (according to the records) played a defensive fight and managed to keep at bay of Carlson’s attacks, the fight was labelled a draw and the money given to the happy Santana. Another fight was arranged soon after, and this time Carlson managed to get the fight win he so anxiously looked for in order to save his family’s honour. The fight was won at a sold out 40,000 seats at Maracanãzinho in Rio de Janeiro due to strikes from the mount. Both fighters met again a couple of years later, although hype and expectation of the 1st two fights had passed away and the 3rd fight was a lacklustre draw once again.

Carlson was always a creative fighter and teacher, he used to go to the beach in Rio and ask for people to fight him, the challengers could use any methods at their disposal (punches, kicks, head butts, the works) while Carlson would only use his grappling although never submitting. He would wear them out until they gave up.

Carlson reigned supreme during almost 30 years. He broke up with Gracie Academy and Helio Gracie mainly due to the fact that he believed Helio and his teachers were only teaching basic techniques to the outsiders, keeping the fundamentals to themselves. Carlson believed the only way to move forward is to test yourself, and to do so you needed open your knowledge to the public. He opened the famous “Carlson Gracie Arrebentação team” and went on to teach and in the process he assembled one of the greates teams that ever competed, with fighters like André Pederneiras “Dedé” founder of Nova Uniao, Murilo Bustamante a BJJ World Champion and UFC middleweight champion as well as founder of BTT (Brazilian Top Team), Former UFC Lightweight Champion Vitor Belfort “the Phenom”, Walid Ismail (another BJJ legend) amongst many, many others. This team would break up in the early 2000′s mainly because Carlson was spending most of his time in the United States leaving the Rio de Janeiro team relegated to a secondary stage. Most of the students from Brazil decided to open their own academy though some remained faithful to their master.

Always opinionated and charismatic, his loss on the 1st of February 2006 in Chicago, came as a shock to the Jiu Jitsu community. His achievements will be remembered forever.

Official List of Carlson Gracie’s Black Belts

Aaron Laponte
Alberto dos Santos
Alexandre Nascimento de Oliveira
Alexandre Macedo
Alexandre Derizans
Allan Goes
Amaury Bitetti
André Mendes
André Pederneiras
Anselmo Montenegro
Antônio Cláudio Correia Leite Buchaul
Antônio Gadelha “Tony Malone”
Antônio Ricardo Bittencourt Cavalcanti
Antonio Ricardo Jardim Liborio
Antônio ‘Tuninho” Rodrigues
Armando “Maninho” Alves Gonçalves Filho
André Mendes
Arthur Vírgilio Neto
Ary Galo
Bráulio Carsalade
Cassio Cardoso
Carley Gracie (Brother)
Carlos “Penão” Alexandre Conceição
Carlos Antônio Rosado
Carlos “Bagana”
Carlos Henrique “Caíque” Vieira Cavalcanti Gomes de Oliveira
Carlos Rollyson
Carlson Gracie Júnior
Carlson Guimaraes
Cássio Cardoso
Christian Kennedy Grandi
Clayton de Souza
Clóvis de Souza
Crézio de Souza
Daniel Cristoph
Djalma José de Santana Filho
Edyr Moreira da Silva “Monge”
Edson Carvalho “Baiano”
Elair Gilberto da Silva Reis
Élcio Figueiredo
Fábio Macieira
Felipe Fígalo Barbosa
Fernando Carlos “Nutri-Baby” Carvalho da Silva
Fernando “Pinduka” Melo Guimarães
Fernando Rosenthal
Francisco “Grego” Trivelas
Francisco “Toco” Albuquerque Neto
Gustavo Gussem
Gutenberg Mello
Henrique Chvaicer
Isaias De Souza
Francisco “Grego” Trivelas
Jerônimo Dix-Huit Rosado Ventura
João Antônio Fernandes Filho
José de Oliveira
José Eduardo Vieira Cavalcanti Gomes de Oliveira
José Mário Sperry
Júlio César “Foca” Nunes
Léo D’Ilha
Luis Fernando “Nando” Da Costa
Luís Carlos “Manimal” Mateus
Luiz “Bebeo” Duarte
Luís Carlos Vallois
Luís Cláudio Isaías de Souza
Luís Fernando “Nando” Costa
Manoel Maria “Maneco” Cardoso Neto
Marcel Laguna Duque Estrada
Marcelo Allonso Duque Novais
Marcelo Alonso
Marcelo Pache
Marcelo Procópio
Marcelo “Bocão”
Marcelo Saporito
Marcelo Tadeu Domigues de Oliveira
Marco Aurélio Kühner de Oliveira
Marco Aurélio Lisboa Valladares
Marcos “Parrumpinha” Da Matta
Marcus Vinícius de Macedo Soares
Marcus “Conan” Vinícius Figueiredo da Silveira Júnior
Mário Cupertino
Marvin Swhab
Mauricio “Saddam”
Miguel Kelner
Miguel Monteiro de Carvalho
Murilo Bustamante
Orlando Saraiva
Oswaldo “Paquetá” Gomes da Rosa
Oswaldo Viana
Otávio Augusto “Peixotinho” de Oliveira
Paulo “Mamão” de Albuquerque Martins Pereira Filho
Paulo Leite Filho “Paulão”
Pedro Paulo de Secco Freire
Renato Tavares
Ricardo de La Riva Goded
Ricardo Jucá Santos
Ricardo Luís “Ray” Moraes Diogo
Ricardo Luiz Perrone
Ricardo “Kiko” Velloso
Rocyan Gracie (brother)
Rodrigo Medeiros
Sérgio Abimerhy
Sérgio “Bolão” de Souza
Sérgio Íris de Almeida
Wallid Farid Ismail
Walter “Soldado” da Silva
Walter Guimarães
Wander de Souza
Vauvernargues Xavier Vicentini
Vitor Belfort