Ryan Gracie (August 13, 1974 – December 15, 2007) was a Brazilian

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

with a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He was a member of the

Gracie family The Gracie family () is a family of martial artists originally from Belém, state of Pará, Brazil, whose ancestors came from Paisley, Scotland. They are known for promoting the self-defense martial arts system of Gracie jiu-jitsu, commonly kn ...

and a grandson of Carlos Gracie.

Career

Ryan trained with his brothers,

Renzo Gracie Renzo Gracie (; born March 11, 1967) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and 7th degree coral belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and coach. A third generation member of the Gracie family, he is the grandson of Gracie jiu-jitsu co-founder C ...

and Ralph Gracie; the latter often served as his

cornerman In combat sports, a cornerman, or second, is a coach or trainer assisting a fighter during a bout. The cornerman is forbidden to instruct and must remain outside the combat area during the round. In the break, they are permitted to enter the r ...

. He also trained

Pancrase is a Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Tokyo. It was founded in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. The name was based on pankration, a fighting sport in the An ...

fighter Gabriel Vella and

jiu-jitsu Jujutsu ( , or ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu (both ), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponent ...

world champion Fabio Leopoldo while in Brazil. Gracie had seven fights in the

PRIDE Pride is a human Emotion, secondary emotion characterized by a sense of satisfaction with one's Identity (philosophy), identity, performance, or accomplishments. It is often considered the opposite of shame or of humility and, depending on conte ...

organization, with his first at PRIDE 10 in 2000 and his most recent at PRIDE Shockwave 2004. PRIDE billed Ryan as the "bad boy" of the family who reputedly gained experience fighting in the streets of Brazil. In interviews in 2004, Gracie expressed a strong interest in fighting

Kazushi Sakuraba is a Japanese professional wrestler, submission wrestling, submission wrestler and former mixed martial artist, currently signed to Pro Wrestling NOAH, Pro Wrestling Noah, where he was formerly one-half of the former GHC Tag Team Championship, G ...

and

Hidehiko Yoshida is a Japanese gold-medalist judoka and retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He is a longtime veteran of Japan's PRIDE Fighting Championships, competing in the Light Heavyweight (MMA), middleweight (93kg) and Heavyweight (MMA), heavy ...

. Sakuraba, known as the "Gracie Hunter" for his many victories over the Gracie family, defeated Ryan earlier with a decision win in 2000. Ryan was the leader and head coach of Gracie São Paulo, one of the largest jiu-jitsu associations in Brazil, with affiliated schools spread over the world. Supported by his cousins Carlos Russo, Daniel Simões, and Renzo Gracie, the academy is home to several world champions.

Personal life

He was the youngest son of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Master

Robson Gracie Carlos Robson Gracie Sr. (; 16 January 1935 – 28 April 2023) was a Brazilian martial artist. The second son of Carlos Gracie, Gracie was a 9th degree red belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, affording him the title of Grandmaster. Career Robson G ...

. On December 8, 2001, his only son, Rayron Gracie, was born. Ryan's brothers are Charles Gracie,

, and Ralph Gracie. On January 30, 2021, Ryan's son, Rayron, released a short documentary titled ''Letters to my Father'', which reveals his experiences growing up without his father through a series of letters he decided to write to Ryan throughout his teenage years. In October 2005, Gracie suffered an accidental gunshot wound to the leg while reaching into a closet in his sister's house in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, according to a report by GracieMag.com. He was hospitalized and returned to stable condition after receiving a

blood transfusion Blood transfusion is the process of transferring blood products into a person's Circulatory system, circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used for various medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood. Early transfusions used ...

Death

On December 15, 2007, at 7:00 A.M., Ryan Gracie was found dead in a jail cell in

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, Brazil. At approximately 1:30 A.M. that day, Gracie had been arrested for stealing and crashing a car and attempting to hijack a

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

. The owner of the motorcycle hit Gracie on the head, and Gracie was detained by several cyclists until police arrived. A toxicological examination at the Medical Legal Institute was conducted, after which Gracie was transported to the police station. While in jail, Gracie's wife called

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...

Dr. Sabino Ferreira de Faria to attend to him. The psychiatrist was later accused of

medical negligence Medical malpractice is a legal cause of action that occurs when a medical or health care professional, through a negligent act or omission, deviates from standards in their profession, thereby causing injury or death to a patient. The negligen ...

by over prescribing medication and causing Gracie's death. Ferreira was later sentenced to two years of

community service Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community contributing to a noble cause. In many cases, people doing community service are compensated in other ways, such as gettin ...

for recklessness. The doctor was with Gracie most of the night, and was notified of Ryan Gracie's death as he was driving home. Gracie was found alone and slumped into a corner when police were doing a routine check of the jail cells.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 5–2 , Yoji Anjo , Submission (armbar) , PRIDE Shockwave 2004 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 8:33 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2 ,

Ikuhisa Minowa is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler currently competing in IGF as . A professional MMA competitor since 1996, he was a longtime veteran of PRIDE and Pancrase and has also competed in other mixed martial arts promotion ...

, Decision (split) , PRIDE Bushido 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 3–2 ,

Kazuhiro Hamanaka is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He fought for the Tokyo Sabres in the International Fight League. Career Hamanaka began his mixed martial arts career in 2003 with a victory over Antonio Schembri at PRIDE 26. After losing to Ryan Gracie ...

, KO (soccer kicks) ,

PRIDE Bushido 1 The year 2003 was the 7th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2003 had 6 events beginning with, ''Pride 25 - Body Blow''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters The follo ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 7:37 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 2–2 ,

Shungo Oyama Shungo Oyama ( 峻護 ''Ōyama Shungo'' ; born April 11, 1974) is a Japanese former professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2001 to 2014, he competed for the PRIDE Fighting Championships, Pancrase, RINGS, DREAM, K-1, ...

, Technical Submission (armbar) , PRIDE 22 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:37 ,

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–2 , Tokimitsu Ishizawa , TKO (injury) ,

PRIDE 15 The year 2001 was the 5th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2001 had 6 events beginning with, ''Pride 13 - Collision Course''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters T ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:51 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Pride 12 - Cold Fury , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 10:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Tokimitsu Ishizawa , KO (punches) , Pride 10 - Return of the Warriors , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:16 ,

Tokorozawa is a Cities of Japan, city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 343,298 in 168,939 households and a population density of 4761 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Tokorozawa is ...

, Japan ,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gracie, Ryan 1974 births 2007 deaths Martial artists from Rio de Janeiro (city) Brazilian male mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian people of Scottish descent Ryan Brazilian criminals People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Deaths in police custody in Brazil Drug-related deaths in Brazil 20th-century Brazilian sportsmen