Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and mixed martial arts legend Renzo Gracie was featured in a documentary titled “Renzo Gracie: Legacy” at the inaugural U.S. Sports Film Festival last Saturday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Perhaps best known for his battles with Dan Henderson and Kazushi Sakuraba back in the days of PRIDE Fighting Championship, Gracie (13-6-1) last competed at Elite XC: “Destiny” where he defeated Frank Shamrock via disqualification.
The movie chronicles Gracie’s life from his days as a boy growing up in Brazil to his time spent as a top competitor in Japan and beyond.
Of particular interest was his feud with BJ Penn back in 2005. Penn first studied the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Renzo’s brother Ralph Gracie, who took the gifted Hawaiian under his wing and molded him into a formidable grappler.
Penn eventually left the Gracie school and in 2005 went against Gracie tradition by calling out one of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s most revered pioneers in Rodrigo Gracie.
After taking the decision win, Penn then set his sights on Rodrigo’s cousin and brother of his mentor, Renzo Gracie.
As if it wasn’t bad enough that a Gracie-trained Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter was calling out another, Renzo took exception to the fact that it was Penn’s father who made the call and not BJ himself.
Renzo explains in our exclusive video after the jump:
Renzo and BJ fought to a very close decision that saw Penn win a battle of positions. Renzo would later get his revenge when one of his star pupils (at the time) Georges St. Pierre outpointed Penn in similar fashion at UFC 58.
Will GSP do it again in their rematch at UFC 94?
Gracie has enjoyed his time away from the sport, but still doesn’t consider himself retired. In fact the 41-year-old fighter plans to get back into the mix - after shedding a few extra pounds.
Where he fits in to the big picture is hard to say.
He still has the ability to draw in Japan and could be a nice addition to one of the upcoming cards in either DREAM or Sengoku.
And of course he could always head over to Strikeforce to rematch Frank Shamrock, who got DQ’d for driving his knees into Gracie’s head while he was on the ground at ‘Destiny’ (despite being warned by referee Herb Dean regarding an earlier infraction involving the back of the head).
Time will tell.
Renzo Gracie: ‘Legacy’ is expected to be available on DVD this November.
65 Comments »
video isn’t loading for me, anyways, before you guys say it, it was an illegal strike frank hit him with and frank was a dick afterwards!
on the other side of the disrespect coin, I saw Renzo step on his opponents head after he choked him out, in (I think) World Combat? the guys name was Spikkers or something. So Renzo isn’t undeserving of one or two fouls himself.
RENZO GRACIE JIUJITSU FOREVER!!!! GOD BLESS YOU RENZO!!!
The Gracies sucks, bunch of pu$$ys. Only legends in their own minds.
Kneecap my *ss, dudes full of it, looking for publicity, guess he found it, kind of.
Because of the Gracies.. we have MMA today.. If it wasn’t for Rorion.. Royce winning in the beginning when every1 thought.. he was going to get killed.. the gracies.. put bjj.. put the grappling into striking.. years later.. today we have MMA.. I found your comments very disrespectful.. but their yours..
must be a shamrock fan
Renzo was great for his day, and is still fighting, the Gracie’s will always have their place in MMA history as the founding fathers, and they will always be known for legendary Jujitsu.
To be real.. after hearing this story.. it kind of makes me want to root for GSP..
I don’t think you’re really rooting for GSP as much as you’re just rooting against BJ. I’ve never really had a problem with the way BJ conducts himself. And just curious, are you holding something against GSP b/c he left Renzo’s school?
I have nothing against BJ.. or GSP.. I’m a fan of both fighters.. but I have admiration for Renzo.. when I was green eard WW Belt.. I was taking his classes.. taught by him.. and I guess that makes me bias.. on my opinions.. Renzo has never given me stripe or belt.. but he gave me my foundamental knowlewdge.. he help guide me on my first few steps as a BJJ player.. and he is without a doubt one of the nicest people anyone can meet.
I really think a in shape BJ.. is unstoppable.. and GSP 99% of the time is unstoppable..
BJ PENN ALL THE WAY!!! he’ll make GSP look like an amatuer, granted that he finally got a blackbelt in jiu-jitsu. hahaha.
we’ll see at the ending of January with the outcome. i’ll always put money on the line with PENN. especially this particular fight.
Anyone who actually things BJ will make GSP look like an amateur doesnt know what hes talking about. I used to be a big bj penn fan now im simply a fan of him. I think he is a great fighter and a top 5 pound for pound fighter in the world, but there are a few things i cant stand about him. one when he began to chirp GSPs mental game and all that bullshit,, this was stupid coming from a guy that picked up and left the sport all together because his family is filthy rich and he didnt need to fight. two i dont get why he even deserves a fight at GSP. since coming back hes beaten jens pulver joe stevensons and sherk. I respect the win over sherk but pulver and stevenson?? really? dude let him fight florian or a superfight with Faber id love to see that go down. (GSP will beat him between 3-4 rounds, then he ll fight florian and win a decision due to some shady ufc officiating then hopefully he fights Faber and loses!) I just dont get why this guy after a couple of avg wins gets to fight whoever the hell he wants especially when this division is so stacked. Penn vs Faber Silva vs GSP now those are super fights, me watching Penn gas out and lose because of GSPs pace isnt all that exciting especially since that card will be weaker because of this “superfight” penn cant knock him out, cant go 5 ronds and win a decision and the only way he wins this fight is triangle choke,, good luck with that penn
GSP IS GOD!
I agree George is NO amature LoL, farthest thing from that, a P4Per, but he will lose to BJ Penn.
“BJ was hanging on his fathers nutsack, when i was fighting already!!!”
I think GSP takes this fight against BJ. GSP is faster, stronger, has better cardio, has better striking, and far better wrestling. The only area that B.J. has an advantage is BJJ. Both fighters have improved since the first fight, but I think that GSP has improved at a greater pace.
Naturalshadow, I tend to agree with a lot, I’ve found. GSP is just too fast, too strong, and too good all around. If Pen couldn’t beat GSP the first time around, I don’t know how he’s going to do it this time. Either way, I can’t wait for this fight.
GSP never bailed on Renzo’s school. He had his fight with Serra and Serra had been the longer-tenured fighter at the school. They obviously couldn’t both train together in the same camp, so the first guy there stayed.
Oh, ok. I wasn’t 100% sure about the GSP/Renzo history. I do know that Renzo said he was happy for GSP when he earned his black belt. I guess it’s similar to how Diego left Greg Jackson when GSP started to train there.
Ditto.
Though I’ve always though to be fair, I’ve always maintained that BJ is a prick.
Amen to that
Mania, YOu r the F’in mAN (when u arent being a comi that is LOL)!!!! Thanks buddy!
lol, what a comment john. I agree, mania is awesome…when not grinding his site to a halt…screeeeeeeeeeeeech!!
LOL. HAHA. YAY! HOO! YIPEE!
Mania.. if it’s ur Bday today?? Happy Birthday!! I just strolled thru the mania myspace page.. and saw a BDAY for today.. =)
Yep, thanks Phil.
hey happy birthday mania, you didn’t take the day off and hand the reigns to jesse for the day…smart man.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY and keep up the best mma site! you take a lot of shit from me, but it’s all in good fun buddy!
Happy birthday mania, your site is as addictive as crack cocaine. I need rehab! lol
Happy Birthday MANIA!! Much thanks for all the MMA news and rumor, cant stay away from your site! Again, Happy Birthday bro!
Lmao!!! what john said lol…..
Happy B-day Mania.. thanks fer all yr hardwork and dedication… now ‘Get yr f**kin’ Shine Box’!
for those of you with no BJJ training or formal knowledge, notice Bj on the bottom, he’s in “butterfly guard.” you see some strikers and wrestlers always crossing their legs around the top guy, butterfly guard or heels to hips is the proper technique when on the bottom. You can actively go for submissions and escapes. The guys that cross legs and hold are simply looking to get stood up! good video lesson here mania!
Like always, BJ can barely stand after a fight! And I didnt realize he had no loyalty to the guys that trained him!
you know what loyalty gets you??? no fights. The Brazilians and their “loyalty” means they don’t fight one another, which gives us the fans less match ups to look forward too. I agree there should be teams, but GSP for example, won’t fight friends, trains everywhere, before you know it, he won’t fight anybody
No, but this is fighting the brother of the man who took you under his wing and trained you! Fighting a guy in your gym or someone you spar with is different!
I don’t think it’ll be an issue for GSP unless he moves up in weight. Most of the guys in the UFC that he trains with are middleweights.
Didn’t get to finish my comment, I’m at work…haha. Most of the guys are different weights, there’s Jardine and Evans at LWH as well and more…I’m not a fan of this I won’t fight my friend stuff, but I don’t think it’ll be a problem.
True that, Kevin. I am so sick of all these guys who won’t fight each other. It is their job, bottom line. Even the idiots on TUF create friendships on the show and are mature enough to fight each other then go back to being friends.
Think about it JV, I know people don’t have a problem with Filho/Anderson, Koscheck/Fitch, Shogun/Wandi, so who gives a sh*t if BJ wanted to fight his trainer. I actually like him more now, he is a real fighter!!!
Yeah, I don’t mean to make a stereotype here, but I think Brazilians are the most loyal when it comes to not fighting each other. Hell, Filho wouldn’t even train with Chuck for Chuck’s fight against Wandy.
BNF, I think fighters should fight who ever gets put in front of them! Even if its guys that train with them, cause thats the business that there in! But to fight the man or the mans brother that gave you the skills and knowledge to be successfull is wrong in my book! And thats what BJ did.
bnf, how can you compare friendship of three weeks (from TUF’ers) to friendship of years in the making?
Cry me a river, no matter what, the GSP lovin, BJ fearing, babys on here complain complain complain, now you guys are Renzo sympathizers, are you kidding me. . .
“BJ fearing” LOL! All Im saying is that I got into boxing back in the day. The man that took the time to teach me and show me how to box, I would never fight! Or anyone in his family! Any mofo in the gym training like I was, was fair game cause thats what we were there for! Your not supposed to bite the hand that feeds you right?
nope, wrong, plus Renzo disrespected the Gracie name more than BJ ever could, i think it had something toi do with his drinking, not sure but BJ was calling out a guy that had already shamed his own family and fellow fighters.
so is that why he wants to fight at LW? to get BJ? cutting to WW may be more realistic.
great job BJ. I dont find a problem with him trying to prove himself by fighting the best at what they do!! BJ is a fighter and thats why he is in the sport he is in. HE didnt learn BJJ and everything else to bake cookies and drink OJ with everyone after. He wants to prove his skills like anybody else would, and why not prove them against some of the best BJJ fighters in the world. Guys hes in the sport of fighting and so are all the other MMA fighters not gymnsatics or anything else. So this crap about a fighter not wanting to fight another because they train together etc. is BS! THATS WHY I ADMIRE BJ PENN
Your comment would be true if BJ got his JJ from somewhere else! But he got his JJ from the Gracies and then lets his father call out Renzo to fight BJ! WTF?
Dude Renzo’s full of sh*t! I have this dvd and in the begining there is this bonus stuff and an interview with Penn on some hotel porch and re gives tons of respect and props to Renzo and is excited at the end in a follow up interview with the same guy that the Gracies finaly gave him some props when they shook his hand after the fight, Ryan, Renzo, Royce, and a few others, Matt Serra was there to corner both Rodrigo and Renzo (i think Renzo, not sure, havent watched it in a while) but BJ is stoked in the closing interview about these greetings from the Gracies. Renzo just sees how famous BJ is and its his only path to some recognition, to try and tarnish a guy that would still tool you, at your weight class = )
But why would the Gracies have a problem with BJ’s fame? BJ is a product of there training! Ive never been a fan of any Gracie other than Royce. So its not like Im taking Renzo’s side on this.
Not the Gracies, just Renzo, the guy has nearly been banned by the Gracies, he is a dissapointment to them, im not sure what he did to break the Gracie trust but he did it, hes not a Gracie to any Gracie that matters. Most of them consider BJ more of a Gracie than Renzo. Even Renzo is quoted in video at youtube as saying “BJ should have been a Gracie, he’ll fight anybody anytime.” So BJ is highly loved by the Gracies that know and respect what an artist he is throughout his fights, when he isnt gassing = ) But Renzo is a chump as a person.
It would not matter what BJ did you would admire it, if it was the other way around and he said that he would take fights with trainers/friends you would say that you respect him for that….
Well said blah! What is all other sports were like that? What if Favre didn’t want to play against green bay? He has a lot of friends on the team. Hes not going to want to beat his friends and make them look bad. maybe bad ex bc jets don’t play gb this season, but get my drift? Bot line is it’s still a sport and we the fans pay a lot of money to watch them showcase their skills. They should fight whom ever the orginization tells them to fight, period!!! Good 4 BJ! If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best!!!
I highly doubt this but could he just be a little upset because the Gracie family can’t beat BJ in anything.
Word.
Dang, couldn’t understand anything he said. Audio quality was too muffled.
you need to get the english version up. The dvd i have is in english. There are a bunch of freak fights on the card also LoL, the guy that Fedor faught last year around new years, Dong man choi or something fights this HUGE hawaiian guy, Ake Bono i think, maybe, its been a while since ive watched this one. Its got a tournament on it as well, and its in Hawaii so advantage BJ! Neither this or the Rodrigo fight are very exciting, BJ wins decisions but he isnt very explosive or dominent cause of his training and the weight/size differences, mostly the training, or lack there of. Now BJ’s an animal, bout time!!! BJ BJ BJ!!!
BJ Penn Training 10/28/08 (Video)
http://www.bjpenn.com/video/video/show?id=2022293:Video:405704
doesn’t work, need username/password!
That sucks, create a quick one, it takes a second and you dont have to use it again or something. Lots of videos and teaining from his every day practices as well as tons of random videos on every fighter on the planet.
bj left the gracies cuz they wouldn’t give him his black belt. even after taping out all their black belts. even ralph gracie himself would get tapped out by bj and would hold out on teaching him any more out of straight HATERISM. which forced bj to get his black belt somewhere else…. why be loyal to someone that hates on the skills. but renzo failed to mention that at all…. lol
WOW! Did not know that, i’m sure most people don’t. BJ is the fn man! When i first got into mma I was fascinated by the gracies! I even met Helio at my friends gym out on Long Island. I always thought of that family as respectable to the sport and it’s athletes. But more and more i’m finding out that it’s not the case. I think the last straw for me was when Royce got caught juicing! Never would have guessed that by looking @ him, LOL!
the gracies rarely give out black belts except for renzo, caesar has given out 4 ever nick diaz,jake shields,and 2 other guys i can’t remember, and i dont think royce gives out any either
happy bday Mania
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