About Us

Renzo  was born on March 11, 1967 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is the   grandson of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu founder Carlos Gracie and son of 9th   degree BJJ Red Belt Robson Gracie. Like most men in the Gracie family,   Renzo started training Jiu-Jitsu as an infant. He received formal   training under many of the legendary Gracie instructors, including  Rolls  Gracie.    

Renzo has won numerous competitions, the most prestigious being the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) in which he is a 3x Champion.    

Renzo   has fought all over the world for organizations such as UFC and Pride   Fighting Championships. He pioneered Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the United   States in the 1990’s when he founded the Renzo Gracie Academy in New   York City, being one of the cornerstones of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in   America. Today RGA has over 70 active affiliates across the globe.    

He   has established himself as one of the most renowned BJJ instructors  and  mentors in the sport with his signature combination of charisma and   intelligence. He has guided UFC champions such as Matt Serra and  Frankie  Edgar, Roger Gracie a 10x Jiu-Jitsu world champion, John  Danaher the  Jiu-Jitsu coach to UFC Champions Georges St-Pierre &  Chris Weidman  and ADCC Champion Gordon Ryan.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a grappling-based  martial art whose central theme is the skill of  controlling a resisting  opponent in ways that force him to submit. Due  to the fact that control  is generally easier on the ground than in a  standing position, much of  the technique of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ)  is centered around the skill  of taking an opponent down to the ground  and wrestling for dominant  control positions from where the opponent  can be rendered harmless.  

To control  and overcome greater size, strength, and aggression with  lesser size  and strength is the keynote of the sport. This is done by  utilizing  superior leverage, grip, and position upon your opponent.  Students of  the sport gain a deep understanding of the workings and  limits of the  human body.  

This knowledge can be  used to subdue and control an opponent with  whatever level of severity  the student chooses. The path to this  knowledge is physically and  mentally demanding. Students benefit from  greatly increased physical  fitness, problem-solving ability,  self-knowledge of their body and mind  and the many social benefits of  working within a large group of  like-minded fellow students as you learn  and have fun together.    

Many  students first learn about Jiu-Jitsu through the great  popularity of  mixed martial arts (MMA) competition, where Brazilian  Jiu-Jitsu  technique is very prominent.  Indeed,  the beginnings of the contemporary MMA competition were  largely tied  up with proving the combat-efficiency of Brazilian  Jiu-Jitsu.  

The  practice of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as a sport, however, is strongly   separated from MMA. Daily classes do not feature kicking or punching.   The focus is on a safe grappling technique that can be done on a daily   basis with no more fear of injury than any other contact sport. While   there is a professional MMA team at the Renzo Gracie Academy, the great   majority of students study only the grappling sport and find that this   is the most enjoyable and satisfying route to take.  

A Brief History Of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu 

In  the last days of the 19th century, some Jiu-Jitsu masters  emigrated  from Japan to other continents, teaching the martial arts as  well as  taking part in fights and competitions. Mitsuyo Maeda was one  such  master. Maeda arrived in Brazil in 1915, and settled in Belem do  Para,  where he met a man named Gastao Gracie.  

The  father of eight children, among them five boys and three girls,  Gastao  became a Jiu-Jitsu enthusiast and brought his oldest son, Carlos,  to  learn from the Japanese master.  

For a  naturally frail fifteen-year old Carlos Gracie, Jiu-Jitsu  became a  method not simply for fighting, but for personal improvement.  At  nineteen, he moved to Rio de Janeiro with his family and began  teaching  and fighting. In his travels, Carlos would teach classes, and  also  proved the efficiency of the art by beating opponents who were   physically stronger. In 1925, he returned to Rio and opened the first   school, known as the “Academia Gracie de Jiu-Jitsu.”  

Jiu-Jitsu  promotes the concept that a smaller, weaker person can  successfully  defend against a bigger, stronger assailant by using  leverage and  proper technique.