Name: Rickson Gracie
Style: Brazilian Jiujitsu
Accomplishments: 9th Degree BJJ Redbelt. Undefeated in MMA, No Holds Barred, and BJJ Competitions
About: Regarded by many as the greatest BJJ practitioner of all time, Rickson Gracie –son of BJJ creator Helio Gracie- became star in the MMA community after the release of his documentary Choke. Rickson lives a humble life dedicated to cultivating the BJJ community. An urban legend has it that Rickson Gracie has 400 victories and zero losses if the challenges he had behind doors were counted.
Name: Helio Gracie
Style: Brazilian Jiujitsu (Founder)
Accomplishments: Creator of BJJ, #1 Ranked Vale Tudo Fighter of His Time
About: Helio’s father was a landowner in Brazil who hired a Japanese Jiujitsu instructor to teach his sons. Everyone except Helio, he was too frail and sickly to study martial arts. He watched and observed on the sidelines as his brothers practiced and became teachers themselves. One day, his brother Carlos was late to his own class and Helio volunteered to teach. When Carlos arrived, the student stated that he would now learn from Helio. Helio would go on to issue no hold barred challenges across Brazil, beating almost everyone he came across using his newly developed system: Brazilian Jiujitsu
Name: Marcelo Garcia
Style: Brazilian Jiujitsu
Accomplishments: Five world championship titles in Brazilian jiu-jitsu as a black belt in the middle-weight category. He has many submission grappling titles, including the prestigious ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship. At ADCC, Marcelo has won the 66–76 kg division four times.
About: (born January 17, 1983) A Brazilian grappler and competitor widely considered to be one of the best grapplers and arguably the best pound for pound submission grappler in the world. Garcia is a black belt in BJJ under Fabio Gurgel of Team Alliance. Garcia opened up and runs successful BJJ academies in NYC and in Florida.
Name: Dan Gable
Style: Wrestling
Accomplishments: 1972 Olympic Gold Medalist, Most Successful NCAA Wrestling Coach
About: One of the greatest American wrestler of all time. Dan Gable’s fervor in wrestling began with tragedy. After his sister was murdered when he was nine years old, Dan Gable sank into his training. He would go on to win an Olympic gold medal, lose only one match in his collegiate career, and win 15 NCAA titles as a coach. The wrestling Gable grip is named after him.
Name: Kurt Angle
Style: Wrestling
Accomplishments: 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist, 1995 World Champion
About: Before he was a WWE star, Kurt Angle was an American Olympian who won an Olympic gold medal in the world’s toughest CONTACT sport with “a broken friken neck”! He is also one of the four wrestlers to win the Grand Slam –Olympic Gold Medalist, World Champion, NCAA Champion, and Junior Nationals. Kurt is now an actor, WWE hall of famer, GM of Monday night RAW in the WWE and a proud sponsor of Grappz.
