Carlson: Where are the fighters from Gracie Barra, from Rickson’s?

Carlson Gracie Jr, son of the legendary Carlson Gracie, sat down with Jits magazine in 2011, and discussed why some major academies don’t turn out MMA champions.

“It’s because our style is geared towards MMA,” he said. “Everybody do the same move, but every move we do in less three steps. Because when your style is more MMA, we try to go for the objective, right away.

“(In) MMA you can’t put a hand here, hand there – you’ll see the punch come right in your face. Can’t do half guard… I think it’s good, half guard, those things, X guard. But some of those things they do, (if) they try to do in the MMA – and so you see there’s no upcoming, successful Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu guys coming in MMA. There’s not many.

“Who ever is successful doing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, it’s the ones who fight rough. You don’t see people coming from the Gracie Academy, Barra Gracie, you don’t have that. The only guy I know now doing a good job is Toquinho (Rousimar Palhares). He was trained by Murilo (Bustamante) and Murilo is Carlson Gracie trained. So that guy is the same lineage.

“But is there anybody from Rickson’s school?’ No. Is there anyone from Royler Gracie’s school? No. Any from Barra Gracie? No. No here. No Alliance, nothing. So that’s why the Carlson style is aggressive, (it’s) because my daddy had to develop his style towards the MMA.”