Profile of Helio Gracie's 1st Fights in the 1930's

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Part two is up: http://mmanuts.com/news/the-first-ultimate-fighter-helio-gracies-fighting-career-part-two/

This covers what is probably Helio's biggest vale tudo win... plus matches with a famous pro wrestler, a Kodokan black belt, and more.

Let me know what you think. I'll get back to this project next week.

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VU!

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Thanks Moke!

Hope people find it useful and interesting...

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VU.....great reads. Phone Post 3.0

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Thanks for posting, keep it going.


Draw = Moral victory

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Thanks for the kind words guys. I'm going to pick it up again next week Ray!

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Sub Phone Post 3.0

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Very interesting

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Helio never looked frail or weak to me, despite what Rorion etc have said.

However reading these accounts, I can see how compared to other fighters with size advantages he could be considered weak

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Pedreira recalls that Helio did compete in swimming as a youth. But maybe it's true to a point, that he had health issues as a kid.

I think everyone knows that the narrative of a sickly boy in Helio, innovating leverage never seen in jiu-jitsu, which was previously based on strength alone -- has serious issues.

The next idea, that the family went from challenges in the dojo to vale tudo in the ring, has some truth to it; but what's lost sometimes is that jiu-jitsu was part of a larger fight-sport scene in Brazil that goes back much longer than the Gracie family.

The next part of the narrative was that Helio was became Brazil's most dominant vale tudo fighter ("I put them all to sleep"). As you can see here, there are issues with that.

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TTT

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ToTheTop

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K. Phone Post 3.0

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Sub Phone Post 3.0

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mahavishnunj - great pieces. kinda confirmed my suspicion that the gracies inflate their own history. id always heard helio was this nearly unstoppable badass, so far hes hardly won a single fight according to these articles. you should do a similar thing on rickson next!

Thanks for reading, glad you enjoyed them.

The series is through his first seven matches, and he's won three matches and drew four. It seems he's dominated in some of those draws, although not all -- and to be fair, sometimes against much larger opponents.

I definitely don't want to bash Helio Gracie, but I'd like to get as balanced a perspective as I can. With him, or anyone else, you obviously can't get that by only listening to stories from their grandchildren...

I'm back from a mini-vacation and looking to finish out his career in the 1930's this week. Thanks again!

 

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Carson's Corner radio show - 

Haven't had a chance to read all the way through yet, but I've been wondering recently...if Kimura injured Helio's arm as badly as has been claimed, what was his recovery like? I can't imagine he had the sort of options for surgery that an athlete would these days. Was his arm permanently injured, or was the damage exaggerated?

 

Heh, you didn't miss it; I'm just not quite there yet!

 

Helio had most of his matches from 1932-1937, and then "came out of retirement" for a few matches in the 1950's: Kato and Kimura were in 1951; the vale tudo against Waldemar Santana was in 1955.

I will try and get a good answer to this though!!!

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In. Glad this came back up as I missed it before. Vu Phone Post 3.0

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Uni man - In. Glad this came back up as I missed it before. Vu Phone Post 3.0


Thank you! Glad you're enjoying it.

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hackett - 
mahavishnunj - great pieces. kinda confirmed my suspicion that the gracies inflate their own history. id always heard helio was this nearly unstoppable badass, so far hes hardly won a single fight according to these articles. you should do a similar thing on rickson next!

Thanks for reading, glad you enjoyed them.

The series is through his first seven matches, and he's won three matches and drew four. It seems he's dominated in some of those draws, although not all -- and to be fair, sometimes against much larger opponents.

I definitely don't want to bash Helio Gracie, but I'd like to get as balanced a perspective as I can. With him, or anyone else, you obviously can't get that by only listening to stories from their grandchildren...

I'm back from a mini-vacation and looking to finish out his career in the 1930's this week. Thanks again!

 


i wonder too how different some of the grappling matches would have been had they been full Vale Tudo fights

especially with the size difference involved

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"I think everyone knows that the narrative of a sickly boy in Helio, innovating leverage never seen in jiu-jitsu, which was previously based on strength alone -- has serious issues."

Boom Fucking Shaka Laka!!!

I`ve said and felt that the only thing that Carlos & Helio modified is the name.Judo to Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.