Rorion

Rorion Gracie is a Brazilian-American martial artist and member of the Gracie family who played a pivotal role in popularizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu in the United States and in the creation of modern mixed martial arts. Trained in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu by his father, Helio Gracie, he moved to the United States in the late 1970s and established a training school in California that introduced many Americans to Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

In 1993, he co-founded the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) with Art Davie and others, presenting a no-holds-barred tournament designed to determine the most effective martial art by pitting practitioners from different disciplines against one another. The early UFC events, which featured Royce Gracie and other members of the Gracie family, helped showcase the effectiveness of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and spurred the growth of mixed martial arts as a mainstream sport.

Rorion later focused on teaching through the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy and his family’s instructional programs; his sons, Rener and Ryron Gracie, have carried on the Gracie tradition as instructors and promoters of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, including online and in-person curricula. Beyond competition promotion, Rorion has produced media and promoted jiu-jitsu education as a means to develop self-defense, discipline, and sport.

His work contributed to a global expansion of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and helped catalyze the sport’s evolution from a niche practice into a major component of contemporary MMA.