Royce Gracie: The Man Who Changed Martial Arts Forever

By Matt Benoliel

In the summer of 1993, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story premiered and managed to gross $63.5 million, Tae Kwon Do and Kenpo dojos dotted suburban landscapes, and Chuck Norris’ new TV series, Walker, Texas Ranger was broadcast in over one hundred countries. To many, Chuck Norris was considered the baddest man on the planet next to Mike Tyson.  There was still a mystique that enveloped the martial arts, perpetuated by Mr. Miyagi and Daniel San in the 1980s, and practitioners of the various styles all thought that their style was the best, while non-practitioners just scratched their heads and avoided confrontation with the Black Belt who lived down the block. And there simply was no MMA. The term did not exist, because, with very few exceptions, nobody “mixed” their martial arts.

In November of 1993, a new player emerged on the scene, and his stage was just large enough to change the landscape of martial arts as we knew it. Weighing in at 176 pounds, Royce Gracie of Brazil, whose family had refined and arguably perfected the centuries-old art of Jiu-Jitsu, stood up in front of a live crowd of 7,800 people and 90,000 pay-per view viewers and declared, through his actions, that my style is the best. It was like something out of 1970s Kung Fu Theater movies, except he was right.  

I was not one of those in attendance, nor did I purchase the pay-per view, but I was a student in Ray Longo’s International Martial Arts Academy, and I remember the conversation that ensued the following day. It went something like this:

     The guy is incredible-he just takes you down, holds you there like a crab, and as soon as you stick an arm out or make a mistake it’s all over. 

Sometime shortly thereafter, Ray began offering classes in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.  The first technique I learned was an armbar from the guard and I thought to myself, this is some other-worldy stuff right here.

I eventually rented UFC I from Blockbuster, which only had one copy that was tucked away in the Adult section, next to such titles as Faces of Death and movies about cannibalism. The United States was not ready for “no-holds barred” octagon warfare, with participants’ teeth flying out of their mouths, elbows caving in foreheads, testicles smashed with fists. There were no weight classes or time limits. Eventually, promoters changed, common sense prevailed, and the sport has evolved. All things considered, the contributions of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and the Gracie family should never be forgotten or underestimated.

Thank you Royce Gracie.

We just learned that the legend himself, Royce Gracie, will be appearing at Harmony Marital Arts Center in Jupiter, Florida on November 8th.  Register at HarmonyMartialArts.com/Events or call 561-745-0230.