The very first time I ever met Renzo Gracie was in the mid 90s. We walked into the small gym in New York that he ran then with Craig Kukuk. It was empty except for one guy mopping the floor.
I thought at first that this humble little guy dressed in sweats couldn’t be HIM. But it was. As anyone who has learned from him will attest, Renzo Gracie is, to borrow one of his favorite exclamations, an UNBELIEVABLE teacher. Renzo is in fact an unbelievable grappler, fighter, businessman, and human being.
This is not hyperbole, it’s math. Renzo runs for the example the most successful martial arts facility in North America.
In this clip Renzo Gracie offers six valuable life lessons:
1. Always smile, even to your enemies.
2. Live life, don’t just survive; enjoy every moment, even the problems.
3. A wall is nothing but something to jump over to achieve your goal.
4. Love is the most complicated thing. From there, Renzo gets a little complicated.
5. Time is the most valuable thing you have – you can’t buy more.
6. Hey, you gotta watch the video …
About Renzo Gracie
Practitioners of Mixed Martial Arts are all bonded in brotherhood. But within the world of Mixed Martial Arts, there is one actual family that stands out over the rest – the Gracies.
Renzo Gracie is the grandson of founder Carlos Gracie, and grew up in the world of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He holds a 6th degree black belt in the art, as well as a black belt in Judo. Those two accomplishments alone rank Renzo among the elite martial artists in the world; however, Renzo is much more than a rank.
He has graced rings and cages worldwide for now two decades, competing in the Pride Fighting Championships and Fighting Network RINGS in Japan, EliteXC, IFL, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the United States, among many others. He has fought a former UFC world champion in each of his last four fights, going 3-1, with wins over Frank Shamrock, Carlos Newton, and Pat Miletich.
Outside the ring, he is one of the sport’s great characters. His impact can be felt from his inspirational quotes, his two books on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, a documentary covering ten years of his life in Mixed Martial Arts, his ubiquitous presence on Twitter, and as a trainer to some of the sport’s leading athletes.
His Renzo Gracie Academy in midtown Manhattan is the most successful martial arts school in North America. As head instructor, he has coached the likes of present of former UFC champions Georges St. Pierre, Frankie Edgar, and Matt Serra, as well as top contenders like Chris Weidman, Roy Nelson, and Ricardo Almeida, among countless others. Despite all the accolades and recognition Renzo has received throughout his career, his main goal has always been to spread the legacy of his family through the sport of Mixed Martial Arts using the medium of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He would rather share victories with family and teammates rather than seek the spotlight for himself.
To call Renzo Gracie successful would be selling him short. To sum up all his accomplishments in a word is impossible. Renzo fits into many forms, from the disarmingly charming to the frightening. His intensity is only matched by his sense of humor, as evidenced for example when he was stalked by muggers in Manhattan and turned the tables leaving them with “racoon eyes” while documenting it in real time on Twitter.
But if you really want to know who Renzo Gracie is, you need only to be around the man. You need to see those who interact with him on a daily basis. You need to see the smiles on the faces of his students, his family, and his friends. To quote the man himself, People usually measure your success by money. I measure my success by the amazing people who surround me, that I was able to push forward. That’s the real asset I have. Money, any fool can have.
Renzo Gracie is the embodiment of Mixed Martial Arts. He has pushed the Gracie family legacy forward, and forged one of his own. He has trained champions, and entertained us all along the way. From his origins in Brazil through his fighting days worldwide, and now onto his coaching career in New York, Renzo Gracie has done all that the sport has to offer, with fists, heart, blood, and a gigantic smile.
