Are the Gracies still relevant?

I think it’s a no.

Crazy to think that only 10 years or so ago they were.

Roger could roll off the couch, slap on a gi and still be relevant today if he wanted.

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Not at all. And thank god.

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I agree. But he’s not doing that.

Is Kron the last Gracie to be in the spotlight? In either jiu jitsu or mma? His last showing did not make him a great embassador for the name.

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Was it a strategic blunder for Rener and Ryron to continue banging the “my father did this, my grandfather did that” drum?

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Triple post to add that maybe I’m very out of touch and the Gracie name is still commonly known and admired.

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Neiman Gracie is the 6th ranked WW in Bellator and is 12-4 in MMA and fought Rory MacDonald for the WW title but came up short.

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The Gracies are still somewhat relevant, but nothing like the Naismith family and their almost complete and total lock on the sport of Basketball.

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MMA really belongs to the Askren family now. They have built a dynasty the likes of which MMA has never seen.
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Check out a recent interview on Stephan Kesting’s YouTube page where he interviews Robert Drysdale about his new book The Rise and Evolution of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Great interview and great book. A lot of focus on Carlson and Rolls Gracie.

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Is a musket still a relevant gun? Or a model t a relevant car? Sure the wright brothers are not running the airline industry but they started the path that led to what’s happening today just like Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison or Winston Churchill.

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You have to understand the Gracie’s fought TMA’ers who knew little or nothing about ground fighting and submissions. It was almost not fair.

They started to have trouble in MMA when everyone learned BJJ/GJJ and blended it with their usual TMA’s. Now, they are complete fighters: they can kickbox, wrestle, and use submissions.

I would say the Gracie’s are relevant. But their MMA strategy isn’t.

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Don’t confuse Gracie Jiu-Jitsu with Carlson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.

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What’s the diff?

I’m going to start training at a CGJJ affiliate after I get down to my target weight. What’s the difference between GJJ and CGJJ?

Aaron is more qualified to answer this than I am.

But in 1997 I met Carlson for the first time and asked him all my nerdy BJJ questions, like is BJJ enough to fight in NHB? Obvious to most people now, but back then “jiu jitsu is all you need” was the mantra. The thinking was, if you tried to add in other stuff it was a mistake, because you weren’t playing to your strengths.

Carlson was like “NO! you need to box, kickbox, wrestle in addition to jiu jitsu if you want to fight.” (Although he said it in very poor English).

Not revolutionary now, but back then the other Gracies never said stuff like that.

That’s just one difference.

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So, CGJJ is more NHB/Fighting oriented?

As Shen alludes to the biggest differences are in how well the Carlson Gracie style translates to MMA. Watch these highlights (go to YouTube and type the title in the search engine) of some of Carlson’s black belts who competed in MMA in the 90s and early 2000s against some of the toughest opponents at the time to get an idea of Carlson’s style and approach to fighting. I even included Carlson’s match with Santana to show how well-rounded Carlson was back in the 1950s. Now compare these fighting styles to members of the Gracie Academy (Rickson, Royce, Royler) and you will see a difference. Keep in mind that these videos highlight Carlson’s training methods and approach to fighting; however, some of the present-day CGJJ affiliate schools may be more IBJJF focused.

  1. Carlson Gracie vs Waldemar Santana, 1955
  2. BTT Murilo Bustamante Highlight
  3. Paulo Filho (Highlight)
  4. Young Vitor Belfort
  5. The Best Ricardo Arona Highlight Ever
  6. Dan Henderson vs Crezio De Souza
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FWIW…

I believe Aaron is the ONLY American to ever earn a Black Belt from Carlson Gracie, Sr.

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Why don’t you start training now to help you get to your target weight?
That way you’re picking up skills and mat time instead of just starting at a gym wall while you sweat it out.

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