The UFC Story, Part 1: The Gracie Family and the birth of MMA

Helio Gracie(left) and his brother Carlos are regarded as the creators of Jiu Jitsu

As Helio grew older, he stopped competing as much as he used to. His toughness and will to win however never dimmed. He famously broke his arm against Masahiko Kimura (the creator of the Kimura submission lock) when he refused to tap out.

By the time he retired, Helio was one of Brazil’s biggest sports stars and his matches attracted crowds that rivalled the attendance figures of the National football team. Even the President of Brazil would come to watch Helio. While he wasn’t competing anymore, Helio’s legacy was still being written.

After the success of Jiu Jitsu in Brazil, it was time to take the craft global. Helio’s children left their native country for the United States. There, they began conducting the Gracie Challenge against US competitors. Much like their father before them, the sons of Helio beat all comers.

Their reputation began to grow and more and more people became fascinated with Jiu Jitsu and the Gracie way of life. The brothers set up academies across America and saw pupils flood in to learn the craft and fans come running just to witness a Gracie challenge.

One such fan was a man named Art Davie. Davie was so enamoured by the Gracie challenge that he wanted to take it mainstream. He convinced Helio’s eldest son Rorion, to help him put together an eight-man single elimination tournament called the “War of the Worlds.”

A no holds barred, style vs. style contest to determine the best martial art. Together they recruited fighters from all over the world spanning all disciplines. When it came time to name a representative of the Gracie family, everyone expected Rorion to step up. However he was older now and didn’t want to fight.

The next logical choice was Rickson Gracie. The best of all the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu practitioners, to this day Rickson is regarded as the greatest Jiu Jitsu fighter of all time. Rorion however, nominated his younger brother Royce.

Royce Gracie in action at UFC 1

Royce was a small man, much like his legendary father Helio. Rorion felt that given Royce’s stature and size, people would expect him to be steam rolled so if and when Royce won, it would be a victory for Jiu Jitsu. It was the same story again, the smaller man against the bigger man, with the martial art being the hero.

Finally, with the 8 men ready, Art Davie and his co-promoters were set to launch the Gracie challenge to a global audience. All they needed was a name. They came up with, ‘Ultimate Fighting Championship.’

Royce would win the tournament to become the first ever Ultimate Fighting Champion and the world had witnessed the arrival of a phenomenon.