Rodrigo Gracie was born on March 11, 1975, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Being the son of a Jiu-Jitsu master, Mr. Reylson Gracie, and born inside one of the greatest martial arts dynasties in the history of combat sports, it doesn’t come as a surprise that Rodrigo’s grappling journey started when he was still a toddler, keeping with his family’s tradition.

Learning how to grapple from the senior members of the Gracie Clan, between the United States and Brazil, Rodrigo reached the black belt rank by the age of 19, from the hands of his father. He spent much of his early black belt days in California, at Master Reylson Gracie’s gym, but soon chose a move to New York City, with the intent of sharpening his game by immersing himself in a more competition minded environment at his cousin – Renzo Gracie‘s academy.

Although haunted by a few bad injuries during that period, it was while training with Renzo and his students that Rodrigo picked up his most impressive athletic achievements, both in grappling and in mixed martial arts.

After his stint in New York, when he represented the Gracie Family in important events such as the ADCC (grappling) and Pride Fighting Championships (MMA), Rodrigo returned to California where he opened his own gym while joining the Royce Gracie Association, a worldwide network of martial arts academies.