Rorion Gracie Martial artist
Rorion Gracie (/ˈhɔəri.ɒn ˈɡræsiː/; born 1952) is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and instructor, a prominent member of the Gracie family, and a founder of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the oldest son of Hélio Gracie and one of the few people in the world to hold a 9th degree red belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, receiving that promotion on October 27, 2003 from his father.Rorion taught Mel Gibson Gracie Jiu Jitsu for the movie Lethal Weapon.Gracie holds a bachelor's degree in law. After visiting the US in the 1960s, Rorion went back in 1978 to share his father Hélio Gracie's Jiu-Jitsu techniques, teaching in his garage. Currently, the Gracie Academy is headquartered in Torrance with a studio in Beverly Hills and online. In 1999–2000 he was involved with a legal dispute with his cousin Carley Gracie for trademark infringement. Rorion ultimately won his lawsuit and was awarded $108,000 in damages (along with $620,000 in attorney's fees) from Carley for infringement of the triangle logo trademark. Both sides appealed, but Rorion's appeal was dismissed. After Carley filed for bankruptcy protection so he would not have to pay the attorney's fees and damages. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Carley's favor, affirmed his victory over the Gracie name and ordered the District Court Judge to cancel Rorion's federal trademark registration.Rorion wrote and published the book Gracie Diet in 2011.He is the father-in-law of UFC fighter Javier Vazquez.Black Belt Magazine2006 Instructor of the Year ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑