Why Renzo Gracie never backed down from a fight in his life.

Born in 1967 to the famous fighting family of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Renzo is the grandson of Gracie Jiu-jitsu founder Carlos Gracie and the son of the highly respected BJJ black belt Robson Gracie.

With that kind of pedigree, it seemed obvious that Renzo would go into what had become the family business, but as he explained in Pioneers, he initially had other ideas.

Renzo said: I first stepped on the mat at five, and I had my first competition at seven. I trained until nine at night, seven days a week, even when I got into my teenage years and wanted to party.

I would train until 9pm on a Friday night, then go out with friends, and then be back on the mat the next morning.”

One day I was sitting down with my grandfather and I told him I was planning to become a lawyer. He looked at me and said ‘No, you are going to be a jiu-jitsu teacher – that’s your job!’ and that was the last time I thought about being a lawyer. [source : ufc]

Renzo Gracie is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. A member of the Gracie family of Brazil, Renzo is a 6th Degree Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Carlos Gracie Jr.

In mixed martial arts, Renzo has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Pride Fighting Championships, K-1, RINGS, and International Fight League.

He holds notable victories over five former UFC Champions: Frank Shamrock, Carlos Newton, Pat Miletich, Maurice Smith, and Oleg Taktarov.

A world famous Jiu-Jitsu coach, Gracie has helped train a number of professional fighters such as: Georges St-Pierre, Frankie Edgar, Chris Weidman, Matt Serra, Ricardo Almeida, Roy Nelson, Rodrigo Gracie and Paul Creighton.

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Renzo Gracie: Legacy, a 2008 documentary film follows Renzo’s influence on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed martial arts over a ten-year period, showing the origins of the sport from its bare knuckle days to the explosion of the sport in both Japan and America. [source : wiki]