GRACIE BRANDON LLC
RIVERVIEW, FLORIDA

During his stay at the Gracie Academy, Ryan helped Royce train for the Gracie,helped establish a Japanese immigrant Esai Maeda, a jiu-jitsu master from Japan. To show his appreciation, Maeda taught Gastao’s son Carlos traditional Japanese jiu-jitsu. After teaching his brothers, Carlos along with his brothers started teaching others in a house in “A modern-day legend, Helio Gracie gained international acclaim for his dedication to the dissemination of the art and philosophy of Gracie Jiu-jitsu. A dedicated family man who exemplified a healthy life-style,he was the epitome of courage, discipline, determination, and an inspiration toall those who knew him.” At the age of 17 he was a blue belt in Gracie Jiu Jitsu and was given the opportunity to move to the United States of America by his brother, Rorion Gracie, to help teach Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from his garage. Royce jumped at the opportunity and moved to California even though he knew little English. In his first professional fight Royce Gracie won Art Jimmerson, once a top ten cruiserweight boxer. In his semi-final bout Royce Gracie gave away nearly 50lbs to Ken Shamrock who was atough competitor and had proven grappling ability. Royce won with a rear choke that forced the submission from Ken Shamrock. Royce was again outweighed in the final of the Ultimate Fighting Championship but still managed to beat the Savate World Champion, Gerard Gordeau, again with a rear choke. This was the show that finally launched Royce Gracie and the Gracie Jiu Jitsu system to the hot topic of every martial artist and fight fan around the world. Royce Gracie went on to the most distinguished mixed martial arts fighting carrer to date with wins in both the UFC and PRIDE fighting championships and Royce Gracie is the only person have ever fought and won 4 fights in 1 night. Rorion, the oldest son of Helio Gracie, put on a gi before he could walk. At 2 years old, he was already doing public demonstrations with his father. At an early age, he grasped the concepts of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and learned to teach under the tutelage of his father. Rorion is responsible for the tremendous explosion of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu around the world. One day on a movie set, Rorion met director Richard Donner and, after a demonstration, he was invited to choreograph the fight scenes for Mel Gibson and Rene Russo in Lethal Weapon 1 and 3. Playboy Magazine and leading martial arts publications all over the world helped spread the word with articles profiling Rorion and his unique Brazilian system of self-defense. Basic and Advanced Submissions: