The 5 best UFC fighters from Brazil

#2 Royce Gracie

Royce Gracie was the original UFC champion

The original UFC legend, most observers would argue that Royce Gracie changed the way that people looked at “real” fighting. He introduced the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu style to the world, and showed that a smaller, less physically-imposing man could defeat much larger opponents with relative ease, all by taking them to the ground and catching them in chokes or joint locks.

It was Royce who introduced before-unknown terms like the guard, the rear-naked choke and the armbar. It could even be argued that he’s the most important martial artist of all time.

If the first UFC tournament – held in Denver, Colorado back in 1993 – was almost an infomercial to show off the prowess of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, the same could not be said for the subsequent tournaments that Royce won.

Much larger, aggressive opponents like Ken Shamrock, Kimo Leopoldo and Dan Severn were all defeated by the skinny Brazilian in the gi, and when all was said and done, Royce came away with a total of 11 UFC wins – all by submission – and three tournament victories.

His initial UFC career ended in a ‘Superfight’ with Ken Shamrock that was eventually declared a draw after a largely uneventful 36 minutes, and with that Royce decided to step away, having succeeded in his goal of proving Gracie Jiu-Jitsu the best style to win a fight with very few rules.

When he returned in 2006 for a one-off fight with Matt Hughes, the world had changed entirely. MMA was now an established sport, everyone knew Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and Royce was a relic of the past who was easily beaten.

Even then, though, everyone from Hughes to the UFC brass like Dana White gave the Brazilian his credit – after all, if it wasn’t for Royce Gracie, none of it would’ve been possible. That’s why, over two decades on from his emergence, he remains one of the greatest Brazilian fighters of all time.