Remembering Helio Gracie

If you ask a casual fan of the sport who the greatest martial artist of the last hundred years is, chances are they will answer “Bruce Lee” or chuckle a little bit as they reply “Chuck Norris.” I don’t agree with that.

To say that Helio Gracie changed the way that the western world thinks about martial arts would do him a great injustice, and to say that he impacted the training of every fighter would be an understatement.

As a fan of mixed martial arts, it is important for me to recognize that, without Helio Gracie, the sport would not exist. Without his sons, the western understanding of martial arts would still be fueled entirely by kung fu movies and episodes of Walker, Texas Ranger.

Still, his role as one of the great founders of the Gracie line, and Gracie Humaita specifically, is only a single accomplishment in a history that is more epic than most Japanese myths. Helio Gracie would fight anyone, and as a man even smaller than me, walking around at less 140 pounds much of the time, with a physique resembling more stick figure than superman, that may be what is most significant of all about him.

It’s not just that Helio would fight anyone, though, it’s that he was smart enough to present a challenge even to the most well versed and most powerful warriors of his generation. Maeda Kimura may have broken his arm, but if Helio had been a less competent grappler, giving up between 80 and 100 pounds in weight, he would have been decimated.

Gracie even went as far as to challenge heavyweight champion of the world Joe Louis to a no holds barred fight. Unfortunately, the fight never happened. It would have been a great war.

Even in his old age, Gracie was a wise and powerful man who made sure to continue his training from time to time. His knowledge of the sport may be carried on his sons and students, but his legendary status, personality and attitude will be sorely missed.

On a personal note, I always looked up to Helio Gracie. Coming from a Gracie Humaita school and training with a blackbelt under Royler, I heard many stories about the family. One of the things I may, in my life, regret is that I never had the opportunity to meet Helio, but his impact on me, however indirect, is very real.