Warrior’s Cove

“I was a black belt in judo, so I thought I had some pretty good grappling skills. Anyway, I got on the ground with Rickson Gracie, and it was like I’d never had a lesson in my life. He played with me.”

“People try to compare Rickson with somebody but no one can compare Rickson in the jiu-jitsu because he’s maybe 20 years forward from everybody. I am the 2 time World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion and when I’m training with him I’m always tapping. He has a lot of skills and I think in jiu-jitsu nobody can beat him. I studied with him also in Brazil and have been coming to Los Angeles, off and on, for nearly eight years to take lessons. Rickson is more than just one man—he feels like 5 when you’re fighting him. You have to sacrifice, sometimes, to study with the best, and Rickson is the best. There is only one Rickson Gracie and he is on a different level from everyone else.”

“Fabio Gurgel who everyone was saying is killing everyone in Brazil, he’s destroying everyone in tournaments, he’s a two time world champion, and then to see Rickson train with him, and play with him like he was a white belt, my jaw dropped. That was one of the first instances where I really recognized, like an epiphany, this guy is THAT good! You heard that he was the best of all the Gracies, and Royce made that comment that my brother Rickson is 10 times better than me, but to see it in action and to see it against a guy like Fabio Gurgel who was 25 and in his prime, just get played with, was pretty insane!”

“I don’t know if anybody here ever have a chance to see Rickson Gracie the way I used to train. He gives you zero! You have zero peace, you have no peace, zero! The moment you shake his hand you are in danger… Sometimes I don’t even want to touch the hand! [Laughter] I swear to god! Because he is 100%, every move he does, he has one objective, to put you in trouble.”

“Without question the best Jiu Jitsu fighter to ever live. Training with Rickson is like trying to move a house. What he lacks in size he overwhelmingly compensates in technique and pressure. From the moment I engaged my guard, till the moment I was tapping, I felt as if there was nothing I could have done to better my situation. His basic techniques nullified my game almost immediately… So to all the non-believers, I can only try to persuade you to eliminate all doubt and open your mind to Rickson Gracie.”

“He is a martial arts myth and has nothing left to prove… Rickson will always do well. He will follow his same old style, do the same thing as always and the opponents will be submitted the same way. Adversaries will tap out even if they know his game. He is one of rare fighters I’ve seen in action who do not give up ground positions. Many regarded as aces in JJ fail in submitting their adversaries because they can’t hold on to the ground positions. I doubt that’s going to happen to Rickson… I bet on him against anyone.”

“Rickson Gracie and me had a match in the BYU wrestling room in 1992. He made me tap out twice and told me I was the toughest guy he’d gone against. Rickson was the best fighter I’d ever seen. He still may be.”

“I’ve never seen a Jiu-Jitsu like that in my life! I have trained with the toughest guys formed by Carlson Gracie. They were all great and I for sure don’t want to diminish anybody, but I have to say that no one ever did to me what Rickson Gracie has done during training these last days.” “I have no doubt that Rickson Gracie is the best ground fighter of all time. I bet on him against any athlete of today.”

“All the champions from Brazil, World champions and more, you can list the top ones up until today, all get smoked and dominated by his technique.”

“Rickson is the champion of the Gracie family. He is the strongest, has the best technique, and the sharpest mind.”

“Rickson is 10 times better than me. He’s the only one who can beat everybody.”

“Once, to show me how you didn’t need to use your hands to defend a neck choke, Rickson put one hand inside his belt and fought against Royce [Gracie] an Royler [Gracie] at the same time with only one arm! In 10 minutes of hard fighting they were unable to even come close to making him tap.”

“He may be number 1 in BJJ, but in surfing I rule.”

“When I was growing up all I heard was that Rickson would always submit his opponents. He wasn’t interested in scoring points, he would just try to submit, and that really inspired me. That was the way I wanted to be. In my mind I don’t worry about points, I just think about submission, the points are a consequence of that. I think Rickson’s Jiu Jitsu is certainly the most efficient today.”

“I’m a fan too and I’m going crazy waiting to see him fight soon.”

“When I was really small, I remember having asked Renzo [Gracie]: ‘Uncle, is Rickson everything they say he is?’ And the answer has stuck in my head since: ‘No. He’s much more.”

“Rickson Gracie is the best. If you doubt him, go ahead and give him a call and he’ll show you. I like Rickson a lot. He is well respected in Brazil and he has done so much for the art. He’s accomplished more in his career than anyone else will ever do in their life in Jiu-Jitsu. All the people should have a lot of respect for him and for what he’s done.”

“Rickson is an icon of our sport and it will always be a pleasure to see him in action.”

Question: Who is the best fighter in the Gracie family? ” Each of us expresses our family’s style through our personalities. That is why you see some of us more aggressive then others. Rickson is the best though.”

“Mr. Rickson Gracie, Master of the masters…He is the best ever…Water is always fresh and pure at the source…We are officially a Rickson Gracie School, so we have a more reliable standard of Jiu-Jitsu”

“Rickson is way beyond everyone. He can touch your head, your emotions and your mind…Without a doubt, Rickson Gracie is the best fighter ever.”

“Rickson Gracie has fought masters of countless martial art styles, and beaten them all. He may be the best ever… Gracie is a master of techniques known as Jiu-Jitsu, or grappling. He uses human mechanics to devastating effect. Gracie exploits anatomical weaknesses to bring opponents to their knees… its pure physics.”

“In the world of MMA, athletes come and go. Olympic wrestlers claw their way to the top, then sink to the bottom two months later when a clever kick lays them out cold. Tough young Brazilian jiu-jitsu stylists work their way up the ladder, then lose horribly to a street fighter with a strong overhand right. Yet one person never succumbed to those fates. While he competed, Rickson Gracie was a cork in the ocean of MMA. He took on the best opponents the sport had to offer, and he didn’t lose a single match.”

“For those of you who have been living in a cave and don’t know who Rickson Gracie is, here’s a little background on the man. He’s a son of Helio Gracie and the brother of Royce, Rorion, Relson, Rolker and Royler. He’s a seventh-degree black belt, and his technique is considered to be the finest expression of Brazilian – jujutsu in the world. Most people consider him the best fighter of the Gracie clan. His innate talent and early mastery of the sport have resulted in an undefeated record after more than 450 fights, including jujutsu tournaments, freestyle wrestling matches, sambo competitions, no-holds-barred events and street fights. (This is merely an overview of his career. If I listed all his wins, we would have to rename the magazine Rickson Gracie Illustrated.)”

“For those of you who have been living in a cave and don’t know who Rickson Gracie is, here’s a little background on the man. He’s a son of Helio Gracie and the brother of Royce, Rorion, Relson, Rolker and Royler. He’s a seventh-degree black belt, and his technique is considered to be the finest expression of Brazilian – jujutsu in the world. Most people consider him the best fighter of the Gracie clan. His innate talent and early mastery of the sport have resulted in an undefeated record after more than 450 fights, including jujutsu tournaments, freestyle wrestling matches, sambo competitions, no-holds-barred events and street fights. (This is merely an overview of his career. If I listed all his wins, we would have to rename the magazine Rickson Gracie Illustrated.)”

“Rickson (pronounced ‘Hickson’) Gracie is undoubtedly one of the greatest fighters in the world today. In a martial arts world full of self proclaimed ‘masters’, he stands out as the real thing.”

“Rickson has an amazing undefeated record after a lifetime career of more than 400 fights: jiu-jitsu tournaments, free-style wrestling, sambo, open weight free-style competitions, no holds barred challenge matches, and street fights. He is regarded by many as the best no-holds-barred fighter in the world.”

“Rickson Gracie has been said to have the most perfect technique of any member of the legendary Gracie family, creators of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Rickson has dedicated his life to martial arts and is considered by many to be the best fighter on the planet. He is a man of honor, tradition, honesty, and kindness. He is proud to be both a family man and a modern day warrior. He is undefeated in vale tudo [MMA], ending all fights via submission or choke.”

“If you have ever seen a boa constrictor eat a live animal, then you know what a Rickson Gracie fight looks like… Gracie so outclassed and dominated his opponents that his efforts seemed strangely non-violent, almost nonchalant.”