Table of content
1. Royler Gracie’s Details
Name | Royler Gracie |
Pro MMA Record | 5-5-1 |
Nickname | N/A |
Date of Birth | December 6, 1965 |
Nationality | Brazilian/ American |
Born | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
Height | 5’7” |
Weight | 160 lb |
Stance | Brazilian Jiu-jitsu |
Last fight | September 14, 2011 |
Weight Class | Featherweight/ Lightweight |
Rank | 7th Degree Coral Belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu under Rolker Gracie and Rickson Gracie |
Career Disclosed Earnings | $5 Million Approx |
Fought out of | Gracie Humaita Academy |
College/University | N/A |
Trainer/Coach | Helio Gracie |
Team | Gracie Humaita/ Victory MMA |
Foundation Style | N/A |
Lineage | Mitsuyo Maeda -> Carlos Gracie -> Helio Gracie -> Royler Gracie |
2. Royler Gracie’s Biography
“Everyone should compete at least once.”
Royler, born on December 6, 1965, in the Gracie family, is a legendary jiu-jitsu professional fighter. He is the son of the Grandmaster and founder of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Helio Gracie, and brother of Royce and Rickson Gracie.
Royler is a 7th-Degree red/black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He is one of the two fighters in the world to win the gold standard of submission grappling titles - ADCC World Championship, three times in a row, and is currently the director of Gracie Humaita Academy.
2.1. Royler Gracie’s Early life and Amateur Fighting
Royler Gracie was born on December 6, 1965, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
At the age of three, he was taught by his father Helio Gracie in a playful manner. He played soccer when in school but as he grew up, his interest in martial arts stayed and the rest faded away.
At the age of seven, he started training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with his cousin Rolls Gracie.
Royler claims that his childhood was the most prestigious period of his life.
When he was in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, Royler used to go to Copacabana by bus with his brothers Rolker and Royce to train at his cousin’s academy. The classes took place from 5 pm to 6 pm every day, but he often used to stay there longer to watch the adult training classes, observing their methods and questioning professionals about them.
Rolls Gracie the Cheerleader
Rolls Gracie boosted Royler’s confidence, encouraging him throughout his childhood. He instilled a belief in Royler that he could be the next BJJ champion in the Gracie legacy.
Unfortunately, on June 6, 1983, Rolls passed away in a tragic accident at the age of 31. It left Royler in shock but did not stop him from growing better in BJJ.
Royler Gracie once said:
“There is an era before and another one after Rolls.”
Royler Gracie Under the Supervision of his Father
Soon after, Royler shifted his training to Rickson Gracie’s camp where he started training under his father.
His brothers and father pushed him to take the competitions more seriously as he was growing up and thinking of pursuing his BJJ career professionally. Helio Gracie would often offer him to fight, saying, “if you win , I will give you $5. If you lose, I will give you $10.” At first, it was difficult for Royler to comprehend his father’s intentions, but later understood that it was his father’s way of keeping Royler from feeling pressured.
2.2. Royler Gracie’s Remarkable Win Streak & an Unexpected Setback
After years of consistent training and determination, Royler became a formidable fighter. His achievements became supreme in submission grappling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, maintaining an undefeated record for several years.
Until in 1987, at the Copa Cantao Competition, he was defeated by De La Riva via sneaky guard where he lost the sweep.
In 1998, Royler competed against Ze Mario Sperry, a Super Heavyweight champion, defeating him via submission.
Gracie Humaita Academy
When Rickson moved to the USA, Royler took the responsibility of fulfilling Rickson's Gi students at the Gracie Humaita Academy. He took this responsibility seriously and pushed his students to reach perfection. Many well-known famous fighters were trained under Royler, such as Xande Ribeiro, Vinny Magalhaes, Saulo Ribeiro, and others.
Royler Gracie’s Constant Hard Work in Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Royler has always tried to improve his jiu-jitsu skills. He has trained in judo at two different clubs, Judo Team Sion and Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, learning different grappling forms to enhance his skillset.
In 1996, he started competing in Japanese martial arts competitions and earned a silver medal in the Judo Brazilian Nationals.
In 1997, Royler competed in the Open Weight Division of the World Championship. He fought in six matches to make it to the semifinals.
Royler faced Amaury Bittetti, where he tried to gain the advantage from a top position. Unforutnalte, Royler’s opponent overpowered him and lost the bout by two points. He got 3rd place in the Openweight Division Challenge.
2.3. Royler Gracie’s Mixed Martial Arts(MMA) Career
In the late 1990s, Royler decided to compete in Mixed martial arts and started training with Claudio Coelho to improve his skills. He mainly worked on improving his stand-up technique training, his coach being a great help in encouraging him to keep moving forward.
In 2000, Royler fought against Kazushi Sakuraba, a middleweight MMA fighter. Kazushi had a weight advantage of around 190 lbs. Royler was the first in the Gracie family to submit to the Japanese fighter, losing to a kimura lock in round 2.
In 2003, in the quarterfinals of the ADCC Tournament’s u 66 kg Division, Royler competed against Eddie Bravo. Eddie fought exceptionally well against Royler relying on submission techniques (triangle and sliding guard passes).
In 2010, Royler considered living between Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and San Diego, California. Royler decided to permanently move to the USA. He wanted to find a peaceful space where he could be more relaxed and surf on the beach more frequently.
In March 2014, at Metamoris III, Royler had a rematch with Eddie Bravo in a submission-only competition. Despite the submission and groin stretch attempts, the match ended in a draw.
2.4. ADCC Championship History
Royler has won three ADCC Championships in a row in 1999, 2000, and 2001.
2.5. Hall of Fame 2022 Inductee
Royler earned himself a reputation for winning three consecutive times at the ADCC, the Pan-American Championships in 1997 and 1999, and the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) in 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999 in the Absolute Division.
Royler has officially reached the ranks of the ADCC Hall of Fame.
2.6. Royler Gracie Published Books
Royler Gracie has co-written three instructional Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu books:
- Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory and Practice
- Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Submission Grappling Techniques
- Gracie Submission Essentials: Grandmaster and Master Secrets of Finishing a Fight with his late father Helio Gracie
2.7. Royler Gracie’s Historic Fights
Royler Gracie vs Eddie Bravo
Royler Gracie suffered an unexpected defeat at the hands of inexperienced brown belt Eddie Bravo in the semifinals of the 2003 ADCC Championship. GRaie accepted defeat with grace and had another chance to redeem himself from the defeat in 2014 at the Metamoris 3 event. Though the fight ended in a draw, Royler Gracie, who had retired by this time, showcased excellent BJ skills and prowess and proved that he was one ofthe best.
Year | Event | Opponent | W/L/D | Method | Stage | Weight Class | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | Metamoris 2 | Eddie Bravo | Draw | N/A | SPF | ABS | Los Angeles, Claifornia |
Royler Gracie vs Alexandre Soca
Royler Gracie confronted an equally talented grappler, Alexandre Soca, at the finals of 2000 ADCC Championship. The two fighters grappled for more than 15 minutes. After non-stop combat Royler Gracie managed to dominate his opponent. With sharp BJJ skills and fluid movements, Gracie won the prestigious ADCC Championship and bagged a gold medal.
Year | Event | Opponent | W/L/D | Method | Stage | Weight Class | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | ADCC | Alexandre Soca | Win | Points 5x5 | Final | 66 kg | Abu Dhabi |
Royler Gracie vs Leonardo Vieira (Leozinho Vieira)
In 1999, Royler Gracie managed to secure his place at the IBJJF World Championship final. It was not an ordinary accomplishment as the 70 kg bracket was brimming with exceptional BJJ talent.
In the final bout, Gracie confronted Leonardo Vieira (Leozinho Vieira). The two fighters tried to submit each other but couldn’t. When the fight ended, the referee raised Royler Gracie’s arm and declared him the winner.
Year | Event | Opponent | W/L/D | Method | Stage | Weight Class | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | World Championship | Leonardo Vieira | Win | Referee Decision | Final | 70 kg | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
2.8. Royler Gracie’s Championships and Accomplishments
- 4x Gold Medalist at World Jiu-Jitsu Championship
- 1x Bronze Medalist at World Jiu-Jitsu Championship
- 3x Gold Medalist at ADCC World Championship
- 2x Gold Medalist at Pan American Championship
3. Royler Gracie’s Main Achievements
- World Champion (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999)
- Pan American Champion (1997, 1999)
- ADCC Champion (1999, 2000, 2001)
4. Royler Gracie’s Main Achievements (Belts)
Year | Event | Belt/Weight | Position/Medal |
---|---|---|---|
2001 | ADCC World Championship | Black/-65Kg | Gold |
2000 | ADCC World Championship | Black/-65Kg | Gold |
1999 | ADCC World Championship | Black/-65Kg | Gold |
1999 | World Jiu-jitsu Championship | Black/Featherweight | Gold |
1999 | Pan American Championships | Black/Featherweight | Gold |
1998 | World Jiu-jitsu Championship | Black/Featherweight | Gold |
1997 | World Jiu-jitsu Championship | Black/Featherweight | Gold |
1997 | Pan American Championships | Black/Featherweight | Gold |
1997 | World Jiu-jitsu Championship | Black/Absolute | Bronze |
1996 | World Jiu-jitsu Championship | Black/Featherweight | Gold |
5. Royler Gracie’s Professional Record Breakdown
5.1. Mixed Martial Arts Fight Record
Professional Record Breakdown | ||
---|---|---|
11 Matches | 5 Wins | 5 Losses |
By Knockout | 0 | 2 |
By Submission | 4 | 1 |
By Decision | 1 | 2 |
By Advantages | 0 | 0 |
By OT | 0 | 0 |
By DQ | 0 | 0 |
Draws | 1 |
5.2. Royler Gracie’s Grappling Record
Professional Record Breakdown | ||
---|---|---|
40 Matches | 34 Wins | 6 Losses |
By Points | 19 | 3 |
By Submission | 10 | 2 |
By Decision | 1 | 1 |
By Advantages | 4 | 0 |
By OT | 0 | 0 |
By DQ | 0 | 0 |
Draw | 0 |
5.3. Submission Methods W/L
Submission Methods | 10 Wins | 2 Losses |
---|---|---|
SUBMISSION | 2 | 0 |
RNC | 2 | 0 |
STRAIGHT ANKLE LOCK | 1 | 0 |
CHOKE | 1 | 0 |
CHOKE FROM BACK | 1 | 0 |
ARMBAR | 1 | 0 |
TRIANGLE | 1 | 1 |
LEGLOCK | 1 | 0 |
CLOCK CHOKE | 0 | 1 |
5.4. Royler Gracie’s Mixed Martial Arts Fight Record History
Year | Event | Opponent | W/L/D | Method | Round | Weight Class |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | Amazon Forest Combat 1 | Masakatsu Ueda | L | Decision (split) | 3 | N/A |
2006 | K-1 Premium Dynamite!! | Hideo Tokoro | L | Decision (unanimous) | 3 | N/A |
2005 | Hero's 3 | Norifumi Yamamoto | L | KO (punch) | 2 | Lightweight Grand Prix Quarter-final. |
2005 | Hero's 2 | Koji Yoshida | W | Decision (majority) | 2 | N/A |
2004 | Rumble on the Rock | Kazuyuki Miyata | W | Submission (triangle choke) | 2 | N/A |
2004 | K-1 MMA ROMANEX | Genki Sudo | L | KO (punches) | 1 | N/A |
2001 | Deep – 1st Impact | Takehiro Murahama | Draw | Draw | 2 | N/A |
1999 | Pride 8 | Kazushi Sakuraba | L | Submission (Referee stoppage) | 2 | Royler demanded special rules: No stand ups, no judges |
1998 | Pride 2 | Yuhi Sano | W | Submission (armbar) | 1 | N/A |
1996 | Vale Tudo Japan | Noboru Asahi | W | Submission (rear-naked choke) | 1 | Royler demanded special rules: No strikes on ground |
1996 | Universal Vale Tudo Fighting 2 | Ivan Lee | W | Submission (rear-naked choke) | 1 | N/A |
5.5. Royler Gracie’s Grappling Record Breakdown
Year | Event | Opponent | W/L/D | Method | Stage | Weight Class |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | ADCC | A. Hamlet | W | Pts: 10x0 | SF | 66KG |
1994 | Brasileiro | Alexandre Soca | W | N/A | F | 70KG |
1997 | World Champ. | Alexandre Soca | W | N/A | SF | 70KG |
1999 | ADCC | Alexandre Soca | W | Leglock | F | 66KG |
2000 | ADCC | Alexandre Soca | W | Pts: 5x0 | F | 66KG |
2003 | ADCC | Alexandre Soca | W | Pts: 8x0 | 3PLC | 66KG |
1997 | World Champ. | Amaury Bitetti | L | Pts: 2x0 | SF | ABS |
1997 | World Champ. | Arthur Ignarra | W | Points | R2 | ABS |
2000 | ADCC | Baret Yoshida | W | Pts: 2x0 | R1 | 66KG |
2001 | ADCC | Baret Yoshida | W | Pts: 2x0 | F | 66KG |
2003 | ADCC | Charles Pearson | W | RNC | R1 | 66KG |
1987 | Copa Cantao | De La Riva | L | Referee Decision | NA | NA |
2003 | ADCC | Eddie Bravo | L | Triangle | 4F | 66KG |
2014 | Metamoris 3 | Eddie Bravo | D | --- | SPF | ABS |
2002 | Night of Champions | Henry Matamoros | W | Choke | SPF | ABS |
2000 | ADCC | J. Wakabayashi | W | Pts: 22x0 | 4F | 66KG |
1998 | World Champ. | Joao Roque | W | Pts: 2x0 | SF | 70KG |
1999 | ADCC | Joao Roque | W | Adv | 4F | 66KG |
1999 | ADCC | Juan Valles | W | Triangle | R1 | 66KG |
1997 | World Champ. | Leo Dalla | W | Points | 4F | ABS |
1997 | Copacabana | Leo Dalla | W | Choke from back | SPF | ABS |
1999 | World Champ. | Leonardo Santos | W | Adv | SF | 70KG |
1999 | World Champ. | Leonardo Vieira | W | Referee Decision | F | 70KG |
1997 | World Champ. | Luis Amigo | W | Submission | R1 | 70KG |
1997 | Copa Pele | Marcio Feitosa | L | Pts: 2x0 | SPF | N/A |
1998 | Oscar de JJ | Marcio Feitosa | L | Pts: 4x2 | SPF | 74KG |
1996 | World Champ. | Marco Aurelio | W | Points | 4F | 70KG |
1998 | World Champ. | Marcos Aurelio | W | N/A | 4F | 70KG |
1999 | Pan American | Marcos Matta | W | Pts: 0x0, Adv | F | 70KG |
1998 | World Champ. | Mario Sperry | L | Clock choke | SF | ABS |
2001 | ADCC | Martin Brown | W | RNC | R1 | 66KG |
1999 | ADCC | Melchor M. | W | Pts: 12x0 | SF | 66KG |
2001 | ADCC | Mike Cardosa | W | Straight ankle lock | 4F | 66KG |
1997 | World Champ. | Octavio Couto | W | Submission | 4F | 70KG |
1985 | Vansport Cup | Pascoal Duarte | W | Points | F | 68KG |
2001 | ADCC | Robson Moura | W | Pts: 2x0 | SF | 66KG |
1986 | III Copa Company | Unknown | W | Points | F | 64KG |
1998 | World Champ. | Vinicius Cruz | W | Armbar | R1 | 70KG |
1996 | World Champ. | Vinicius Draculino | W | Points | F | 70KG |
1998 | World Champ. | Vinicius Draculino | W | Pts: 2x0 | F | 70KG |
1997 | World Champ. | Vitor Shaolin | W | Adv | F | 70KG |
6. Royler Gracie Retirement
Royler Gracie officially retired on September 14,2011 after his last fight lost to Masakatsu Ueda by split decision.
7. Fighting Video Links
Royler Gracie vs Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro / World Championship 1997
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Royce Gracie
UFC 5 Free Fight: Royce Gracie vs Ken Shamrock 2 (1995)
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