Royce Gracie

Quick Facts: Royce Gracie

Full Name Royce Gracie
Nick Name Royce
Date of Birth December 12, 1966
Birth Place Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Residence Los Angeles, California
Age 55
Gender Male
Sexual Orientation Straight
Height 6 ft (1.83 m)
Weight 80 kg (176 lb)
High School Not Available
University Name Not Available
Zodiac Sign Sagittarius
Religion Christianity
Nationality Brazilian
Ethnicity Not Available
Father’s Name Hélio Gracie 
Mother’s Name Vera Gracie
Siblings Rickson, Rorion, Relson, Royler, Rolker, Robin, Rerika, and Ricci
Hair Colour Black
Eye Colour Dark Brown
Skin Colour Brown
Marital Status Divorced
Former Partner Marianne
Kids Khonry, Kheydon, Khor, and Kharianna 
Profession Former MMA Fighter
Style Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
Stance Orthodox
Net Worth $5 million
Salary Not Available
Social Media Instagram, Twitter
Merch  Signed UFC Belt, Signed UFC Glove
Last Update July, 2022

The professional mixed martial artist and three-time UFC Tournament Champion, Royce Gracie, is originally from Brazil. He is a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu practitioner from the renowned Gracie family of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

Royce Gracie is one of the most recognizable faces in mixed martial arts (MMA). He became famous as an MMA fighter in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), winning UFC 1, UFC 2, and UFC 4.

In November 2003, Gracie was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame on the 10th Anniversary of the UFC.

The UFC Hall of Famer paved the way for the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu style in MMA by contributing towards hand-to-hand combat like grappling and ground fighting.

Continue reading the article to find out more about Royce Gracie and how he became one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time!

Royce Gracie’s Childhood and Family

Royce Gracie was born on December 12, 1966, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Vera and Hélio Gracie. He is the youngest of seven siblings.

His father, Hélio, had three sons from a previous relationship with Isabel Soares (Rickson, Rorion, and Relson). After marrying Vera, he had four more sons (Royler, Rolker, Royce, and Robin) and two daughters (Rerika and Ricci).

Royce began training in Jiu-Jitsu at a young age with his martial artist father, Hélio. Hélio Gracie was a founding member of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, also known as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Royce began competing in tournaments when he was only eight years old. He had a blue belt by the age of 16, and his black belt came less than two years later.

He moved to the United States when he was 18 to live with his older brother Rorion. In their garage, the two brothers taught private Jiu-Jitsu classes. They eventually founded the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Torrance, California.

Royce Gracie continues to wear a dark blue belt during Jiu-Jitsu training to honor his late father. Gracie is a 7th-degree coral belt, but he didn’t want to be promoted to a higher rank by anyone other than Hélio.

Royce Gracie: UFC 1 and UFC 2 career

The first UFC mixed martial arts event took place on November 12, 1993, at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado.

Royce Gracie defeated retired boxer Art Jimmerson in his first UFC fight. Gracie threw Jimmerson to the ground and wrapped his left arm around his neck, forcing him to submit.

Similarly, in the semi-finals, he defeated one of his main rivals, Ken Shamrock. Gracie went on to win the tournament, defeating retired MMA fighter Gerard Gordeau. After throwing Gordeau to the ground, he applied a rear choke.

The next UFC event took place on March 11, 1994, at Denver’s Mammoths Garden.

Royce Gracie extended his winning streak with a first-round victory over Japanese fighter Minoki Ichihara. Then, in the quarter-finals, Gracie defeated retired MMA fighter Jason DeLucia by submission.

In the semi-finals, Gracie defeated Taekwondo and Judo player Remco Pardoel. Following that, he defeated Patrick Smith in the finals by submission to become the UFC Champion for the second time.

The UFC 3 and UFC 4

On September 9, 1994, the third UFC event took place at the Grady Cole Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Royce Gracie started strong by defeating Kimo Leopoldo in the first round, but he was unable to continue due to his deteriorating physical health. So he walked into the ring and threw in the towel during the next round.

A UFC match can only be ended by submission, knockout, or throwing in the towel, so Gracie was clearly too exhausted to fight.

UFC 4: Revenge of the Warriors took place on December 16, 1994, at the Expo Center Pavilion in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Royce Gracie won the first round with a rear choke on Ron van Clief.

In the semi-finals, Gracie submitted Keith Hackney. Then, in the final round, he submitted professional wrestler Dan Severn with a triangle choke to win the UFC event.

UFC 5

UFC 5: Return of the Beast took place on April 7, 1995, at the Independence Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The final fight between rivals Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock drew a lot of attention at UFC 5. Because of the reintroduced time limit that year, their match lasted 36 minutes and ended in a draw.

As a result, the event sparked numerous controversies, as many people were dissatisfied with the draw. They believed the outcome would have been different if a judge had reached a decision or if there had been no time limit.

After the fight, Royce Gracie left the UFC.

PRIDE and a Return to the UFC

Royce Gracie was supposed to make his PRIDE Fighting Championships debut in their PRIDE 2 event in 1998, but he had to pull out due to a back injury. He then competed in the 2000 PRIDE event against professional wrestler Kazushi Sakuraba.

Gracie’s no-time-limit rule backfired, and Sakuraba won the 90-minute match by TKO. Gracie was hit with several low kicks during the fight, and he ended up with a broken femur.

Hidehiko Yoshida, a judo player, defeated Gracie with a chokehold in a mounted position at the 2002 PRIDE event. Yoshida was declared the winner by the referee, who assumed Royce was unconscious.

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Gracie, on the other hand, was dissatisfied with the outcome and claimed that he did not pass out during the fight. He demanded a rematch with new rules, which PRIDE agreed to because they did not want to lose the Gracie family.

The rematch took place on December 31, 2003, at the PRIDE Shockwave event. However, Gracie’s expectations were dashed when the fight ended in a draw due to the no-judge rule.

Royce Gracie returned to the UFC on May 27, 2006, and faced two-time UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes. However, he was defeated by Hughes by TKO in the first round due to strikes.

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Retirement and the Steroids Scandal

On May 8, 2007, Royce Gracie competed against Kazushi Sakuraba once more at the K-1 Dynamite!! USA event.

Gracie won the fight unanimously, but a post-fight drug test revealed traces of an anabolic steroid called Nandrolone in his system. As a result, he was fined $2500 by the California State Athletic Commission and his license was suspended until it expired.

On the occasion of the UFC’s 20th anniversary, Royce Gracie announced his retirement on November 15, 2013. In addition, the World MMA Awards presented him with the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Royce Gracie has the most tournament victories (eleven) in UFC history. He is the only MMA fighter to have won three UFC tournaments as of 2021.

Royce Gracie’s Marriage and Children

Royce Gracie married Dr. Marianne Cuttic, a podiatrist in Los Angeles, in 1994. Gracie filed for divorce in 2016 after more than two decades of marriage.

He asked his wife for spousal support and asked her to pay his attorney’s fees. He also demanded legal custody of his children.

On September 5, 2019, Gracie filed a motion to dismiss the divorce petition, which the court granted. As a result, Gracie and Cuttic are still legally married, but it’s unclear whether they live together.

The estranged couple has four children. They have three sons (Khonry, Kheydon, and Khor), as well as a daughter (Kharianna).

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) sent Gracie and Cuttic a Notice of Deficiency, stating that they owed more than $650,000 in back taxes. They were also expected to pay $492k in civil fraud penalties.

Royce Gracie’s Salary and Earnings

Royce Gracie was named one of the world’s 50 greatest athletes by Sports Illustrated in 2014. Gracie earned more than $170,000 in tournament prize money during his UFC career.

He is estimated to be worth $5 million.

Royce is no longer a competitive MMA fighter, but he is still a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. He also keeps in touch with more than 55 Royce Gracie Jiu-Jitsu networks around the world.

Royce Gracie: Social Media

If you want to keep up with Royce Gracie’s daily life, you can follow him on various social media platforms.

  • Instagram: 263k followers
  • Twitter: 156k followers

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FAQs

What training regimen does Royce Gracie follow?

Gracie follows a strict training routine, including weight training, cross-training, running, and meditation. Moreover, he practices Gracie Jiu-Jitsu for many hours as he physically can. 

Royce Gracie has a trainer, James Strom, who helps him with his training regimen. One time, Gracie and Strom went on a 40 mile run together.

Who is Khonry Gracie?

Khonry Gracie is a professional MMA fighter who previously competed in the Bellator MMA events. As the oldest son of Royce Gracie, he uses the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu style during MMA fights to follow in his father’s footsteps.

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