A Gracie Family Pictorial No one can deny that the Gracie family is nothing short of legendary. From Carlos Gracie Sr. all the way down to the newest Gracie members who are still actively competing in MMA or BJJ and everyone in between, the Gracie's are the most influential family in the history of martial arts. They will go down in history for revolutionizing the martial arts. As with any influential figure, people love seeing pictures of the Gracie family.





To bring a somewhat reasonable method to the madness, we have organized the pictures in the order eldest Gracie family member to the youngest and included pictures of other influential individual such as Mitsuyo Maeda and Masahiko Kimura.







Mitsuyo Maeda

a.k.a Count Koma (Conde Koma)





As a child competing with Jigoro Kano as referee

As a young man

Older with the gi

Demonstrating a technique

With other Judoka

Yamashita, unknown, unknown, Maeda

Most popular photo of Mitsuyo Maeda

Maeda (standing on the right) with his first students in Brazil



Mitsuyo Maeda was the Jiu-Jitsu/Judo champion that left Japan to help pioneer a Japanese colony in Brazil in 1914, but he was known at the time for traveling the world making money as a fighter who took on all comers. In fact, he was kicked out of the Kodokan because of this. Maeda is the man credited with teaching the Gracie's his practical form of Jiu-Jitsu.







The Gracie Family





Back row: Rilion Gracie & Royler

Middle row: Royce, Pedro Valente, Relson, Rorion, Hal Faulkner & Rickson

Front row: Renzo, Ryron, Ralek, Rolker



Taken in Torrance, Califoria by Hal Faulkner

(Thanks to Hal for correcting who is who)



Back row: Pedro Valente, Rilion, Royler, Rickson, Royce, Rolker

Front row: Carlos Machado, Ryron, Rener, Rorion, Ralek, Renzo, Relson



Taken in Torrance, Califoria



I will take it from Rickson that it was taken on 1988.









Back row: Rickson, Rolls, Carlos Sr., Helio, Robson?, Mauricio Motta Gomez (Roger's dad)

Front row: Royler, Carlos Jr., Crolin, Rorion, Rolker & Royce



This is one of the rare pictures of Carlos Gracie in a picture.

















Rolls, Relson, Rorion & Rickson (front)

Renzo, Ryan, Royler & Robin in Abu Dhabi, UAE





Rolker, Relson, Royce & Robin at the Gracie Humaita Academy, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Royce, Prof. Helio & Rorion

Source: Rorion Gracie

Royce, Prof. Helio (front), Rorion (back) & Ryron

Source: Rorion Gracie







Carlos Gracie Sr.





Credited as the first person to learn Jiu-Jitsu from Mitsuyo Maeda. He probably learned it at the same time along with his brothers (except for Helio who was too young), but because he was the eldest brother and the one who initiated most of the challenges and fights, he is credited as the first to learn the art. Carlos and his brothers opened the first Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in 1925.







Helio Gracie



Helio Gracie was the youngest of the Gracie brothers and because of his age, he was the last to learn Jiu-Jitsu. He primarily learned it through his brothers. Prof. Helio is credited as being the person who really created Gracie Jiu-Jitsu because he took the techniques that his older brothers sifted through had kept from the effective art of Jiu-Jitsu and innovated them to require less power and implemented more leverage into the techniques due to his fraile physique.





Prof. Helio transitioning to an arm bar on his son Rickson Gracie.











Helio Gracie, Margarita (2nd wife) and Rorion Gracie.



Prof. Helio Gracie applying a "Kimura" key lock at the Gracie family ranch.























Helio Gracie's match with Kato in 1951. This match was needed in order to qualify him to fight Masahiko Kimura. Part of this match was featured in Gracie In Action I.





Helio Gracie vs Masahiko Kimura collage

Masahiko Kimura (1917-1993), Japan's greatest Jiu-Jitsu/Judo practitioner in history. A photo in his youth at age 18, already a 5th dan in Judo and in advanced years. He stood 5'6" (170 cm) tall and weighed 185 pounds (84kg).













Picture of Masahiko Kimura before his match with Prof. Helio Gracie







Helio Gracie getting thrown by Masahiko Kimura. O Soto Gari was Kimura's favorite throw. Prof. Helio's strategy was to go along with the throw instead of fighting it to end up in a better position to start off the match.

Masahiko Kimura applying his infamous key lock on Prof. Helio Gracie. This technique would be named after him by the Brazilians. You can see Prof. Helio's incredible flexibility.



Helio Gracie (44yrs old, 67kg) vs. Waldemar Santana (26yrs old, 94kg)

This fight took place in 1962 after Waldemar Santana, a former student of the Gracie Academy Challenged Helio Gracie. Against advice, Helio fought and the match lasted 3 hours and 45 minutes.

Prof. Helio choking his son, Royce Gracie











Prof. Helio Gracie skydiving in his late 80's.



Rorion (Helio's eldest son) & Prof. Helio

Source: Rorion Gracie







Carlson Gracie





Carlson Gracie (18 yrs old, 72kg) fighting Waldemar Santana (94kg). This was Carlson Gracie's first professional vale tudo. Carlson revenged Prof. Helio's loss to Santana.

Carlson went on to fight 50 matches and remained undefeated. Unofficially, Carlson is reported to have had over 600 fights without losing one of them.

Rolls Gracie sparring with Carlson Gracie







Rolls Gracie







Rolls Gracie's match that was featured on Gracie In Action I.

Helio supervising a Sambo style match between Rickson & Rolls Gracie

Rolls Gracie (blue) in a freestyle wrestling match. Rolls was the first Gracie to openly study other arts and integrate techniques into Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.













Relson Gracie









Relson & Renzo Gracie in Hawaii





Relson Gracie & Daniel Morais performing monkey flip arm bar.





Source: All Relson Gracie pictures were taken by Chris Onzuka, except for the Relson & Renzo picture and the side profile of Relson.

Rickson Gracie













Rickson Gracie Action Figure available in Japan.





Rickson Gracie vs Bud Smith at Vale Tudo Japan Open '94







Miscellaneous Gracie Members





Ralph Gracie with Battlecade Extreme Fighting belt

Rickson's son, Rockson Gracie (deceased) & Luis "Limao" Heredia We do not wish to insult anyone by posting a picture that they took by not giving them credit. I have collected these pictures over the years when I came across them. I never planned on creating a page to display these pictures which is why I never thought of obtaining the source of these pictures. So if you know the source of these pictures we will gladly list the source under each picture.



Please email us with any comments, suggestions, or questions about our page or martial arts in Hawaii.

