Ralph Gracie

Brazilian martial artist

Ralph Gracie (born May 25, 1971) is a retired Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and jiu jitsu black belt. A member of the famed Gracie family, he is the son of Robson Gracie and the brother of 11 Gracies, including Charles Gracie, Renzo Gracie and the late Ryan Gracie.

Ralph Gracie was born on 25 May 1971, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Like most members of the Gracie family, he started practicing Brazilian jiu jitsu from a young age, training extensively with his uncle Carlos Gracie Jr. who awarded him his black belt when Gracie was twenty one. In the early days of Gracie Barra, he became a strong representative of the team in many local tournaments. In the 1990s Gracie moved to the United States at the invitation of his cousin Cesar Gracie. Gracie won fights versus Makoto Muraoka, Steve Nelson, and Ali Mihoubi, the longest of which lasted a minute and thirty four seconds. In sharp contrast to the typical "passive" Gracie approach, Gracie's aggressive and often brutal approach earned him the nickname of "The Pitbull". The following year, he suffered a loss to Takanori Gomi, who stopped Gracie in six seconds with knee strikes to the head in what would be Gracie's last MMA fight. Upon retirement, Gracie held a record of six wins and one loss in sanctioned fights. He holds a fifth degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and has won several BJJ tournaments.

Gracie owns and operates a series of martial arts academies in California, as well as Florida, (specializing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu). Gracie owns eight academies in Northern California (Berkeley, Richmond, Dublin, Sacramento, Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Jose, and Vacaville) and two in Southern California (Anaheim and Chino Hills); with the largest being the San Francisco Academy. Most recently, the academy in Richmond opened and instructed by Igor Estrella. Notable instructor, and 6th degree black belt, Luis Eduardo Fraga, has been head instructor at the Berkeley Academy since 2007. Gracie taught former UFC welterweight and lightweight champion, B. J. Penn, when he first came to California from Hawaii. Gracie also taught other prominent black belts such as Kurt Osiander, the Camarillo brothers, Scot Nelson, and more. In late 2016, Ralph Gracie Florida academy opened in the city of Port Orange, Volusia county, under 5th degree black belt Regis Calixto. In early 2021, Ralph Gracie Jiu Jitsu issued a public statement on an incident concerning the head instructor at an affiliate gym, whereby he harassed the parent of a former student and left a voicemail including threats and a racial slur.