EveryDojo

Chapter 5 of 7 · 3 min

How did a garage in California change fighting?

Rorion Gracie teaches in his garage, the smallest fighter wins the first UFC, and the big teams are born.

Read the version for teenagers and adults

In 1978 Rorion Gracie, Hélio's eldest son, moved to California in the United States. He had no academy, so he taught jiu-jitsu in his garage. 9,106

A man teaching two students on mats laid in an open suburban garage.

In 1989 he opened the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in a town called Torrance, with his brothers Rickson, Royce and Royler. 9,106 In America, people started saying "Brazilian jiu-jitsu" to tell the art apart from other kinds of jiu-jitsu. 1

Four instructors standing with a class of adult students in a bright new academy.

The first UFC

Rorion and a promoter called Art Davie created the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the UFC. The first event was in Denver on 12 November 1993. 9 Royce Gracie was the smallest fighter there, and he won. He won UFC 2 and UFC 4 as well. 1,9

A slim fighter in a white jacket controlling a much bigger opponent inside an eight sided cage.

Fighters from every style had just seen the smallest man win by taking people to the ground. After that, ground fighting became a must in mixed martial arts. 1,9

A sheikh and a championship

One person watching was Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi. He was so inspired by Royce that he learned jiu-jitsu himself. With his teacher, Nelson Monteiro, he created a big grappling championship called ADCC. The first one was held in Abu Dhabi in March 1998. 18 ADCC is fought mostly without a gi, every two years. 18,60

Two grapplers in shorts and tight shirts fighting for a leg lock on a mat in a bright hall.

The teams

Most academies in Britain belong to a team. Here is where the big ones came from.

  • Gracie Barra was started by Carlos Gracie Jr. in Barra da Tijuca, in Rio, in 1986. 11,100 He also started the federation known as the IBJJF, which runs the World Championships and writes the rules most people use. 11,17,40
  • Alliance was started in 1993 by Romero "Jacaré" Cavalcanti with Fabio Gurgel and Alexandre Paiva. 12,102
  • 10th Planet was started in Los Angeles in 2003 by Eddie Bravo, to train without a gi. 16
  • Checkmat was started by Leo Vieira in 2008 with his brothers. The name mixes "checkmate" and "mat", because they think of jiu-jitsu like a game of chess. 13
An instructor leading a line of adult students in a warm up in a bright seaside academy.

Gi and no gi

The gi is the jacket, trousers and belt. It is lighter and tighter than a judo suit, and you can grip it, and older students use it for some holds. 1,23 No gi means training in a rash guard, a tight stretchy top, and shorts, with no grabbing clothes. 1,43 10th Planet only trains no gi. 16

Pairs of adults in rash guards and shorts training on black mats.

Jiu-jitsu is not in the Olympic Games, because no jiu-jitsu body is recognised by the International Olympic Committee. 27,66 But by the end of the 1990s it had reached Britain. Next stop: a factory in Birmingham.

Quick quiz

Three questions, just for you. Nobody is keeping score.

1. Where did Rorion Gracie first teach in California?

2. Who won the first UFC in 1993?

3. Which team only trains without a gi?

Next: Who brought jiu-jitsu to Britain?
Previous: What happened when Hélio fought Kimura?

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