Brazilian jiu-jitsu and its martial art techniques have their roots in Japanese judo. The beginning of their history can be found in a martial arts group called Kodokan. The decision of this group to send out their followers to the rest of the world to share their teachings would have a major impact on the future of mixed martial arts tournaments. In the beginning of the twentieth century, one of these followers reached Brazil and began spreading the knowledge that he had obtained through years of training. An important meeting between this man, Mitsuyo Maeda, and a Brazilian man would change the course of fighting history.

One of the people that Maeda associated with was a man with the last name Gracie. Brazilian jiu-jitsu is highly associated with the Gracie name and this is where it began. Carlos Gracie began learning from Maeda and then in 1921, passed his knowledge on to his brothers, including the youngest, Hélio. Hélio adapted the teachings so that he, as a smaller man, could defeat much larger opponents. This became a key part of jiu-jitsu and would be shown again and again in tournaments that size really does not matter in combat.

It was when the Gracies came to America that their discipline became known as Brazilian jiu-jitsu. It was 1978 when Rorion Gracie, Hélio’s son, moved to Southern California with the intention of sharing his father’s art with the rest of the world, much in the same way that Maeda had shared Japan’s secrets with Brazil. Rorion brought his father’s fame with him, and followed in his footsteps by issuing what became known as the Gracie Challenge; an open invitation to any fighter to try and beat him in hand-to-hand combat in order to determine which discipline was stronger.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu exploded across the world in the early 1990s, with the creation of the Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments. These were mixed martial arts fights that were largely no-holds-barred events that paired fighters of different disciplines. Royce Gracie jumped to fame and success by winning three of the first four tournaments, mainly by defeating opponents far larger than he and through submission holds on the ground. It became obvious that his martial art techniques were far superior to those of other disciplines and Brazilian jiu jitsu academies sprang up across North America.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu still continues to be one of the most effective forms of fighting, with Gracie jiu jitsu being recognized in its own right as a separate discipline. From Japan to Brazil and then to America and finally the world, the Gracies have had tremendous success in proving the excellence of their abilities and of their chosen discipline. The future only looks bright as jiu-jitsu continues to be extremely popular for martial artists and for those who watch the fights.

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