| The roots of today's mixed martial arts stretch far | | | | it is still in common use, whereas the modern Hepburn |
| back into history. Far away from the lights of Las | | | | Romanization is "jujutsu." Other common spellings are |
| Vegas, down to A Cidade Maravilhosa, or "The | | | | Brazilian jujitsu and Brazilian ju-jitsu. |
| Marvelous City" of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where five | | | | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu kicked open the doors to the |
| brothers named Gracie (Carlos, Osvaldo, Gastao, | | | | international pantheon of sport in the 1990s, when |
| Jorge, and Helio) were practicing the art passed on to | | | | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert Royce Gracie (Son of Grand |
| eldest brother Carlos by Mitsuyo Maeda (a.k.a. Conde | | | | Master Helio Gracie) won the first, second and fourth |
| Koma, or Count Coma in English), an expert Japanese | | | | Ultimate Fighting Championships. The original UFC |
| judoka and member of the Kodokan. | | | | competitions were single-elimination, eight-man |
| Imagine, if you will, a small, sweaty, matted room in the | | | | tournaments. Royce fought against often much larger |
| third most populous area in South America, where four | | | | opponents who were practicing other styles, including |
| of the five brothers train and give lessons in the | | | | boxing, shoot-fighting, karate, judo, tae kwon do and |
| sweltering heat. Very crowded and often quite | | | | wrestling. In fact the reason the UFC started was to |
| dangerous, the city of Rio de Janeiro is known for its | | | | showcase the efficacy of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. |
| carnival celebrations, samba music, gorgeous beaches, | | | | It is generally understood now that to be a |
| and great surfing. It is also the country that gave the | | | | well-rounded MMA fighter one must have a good |
| world the bikini, the thong and the 38M tall Christ the | | | | grasp of several martial arts. Whether it is a mix of |
| Redeemer statue. | | | | boxing, muay thai, wrestling, karate, Brazilian jiu-jitsu or |
| But that first scorching gym was also the birthplace of | | | | any combination of those, simply knowing Brazilian |
| the martial art that was to change the course of | | | | Jiu-Jitsu by itself is not sufficient to be successful. |
| modern athletic competition in the latter portion of the | | | | However, it has since become a staple art for many |
| 20th century. It was there that Helio Gracie, a young | | | | MMA fighters and is largely credited for bringing |
| man, small in stature but stout in heart, with an | | | | widespread attention to the importance of ground |
| immense capacity to transform the judo he had | | | | fighting. |
| learned from his oldest brother gave the world the gift | | | | So, if you are among the millions of people watching |
| that was to become known as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. | | | | MMA because you love seeing some of the top |
| In Brazil, the art is still called "Jiu-Jitsu". When the | | | | athletes in the world battle it out, try to remember that |
| Gracies went to the United States to spread their art, | | | | the fight you are watching started with a 145lb man in |
| the system became known as "Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu" and | | | | a small oven of a room in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil almost |
| "Gracie Jiu-Jitsu." "Jiu-Jitsu" is an older Romanization | | | | 90 years ago. |
| that was the original spelling of the art in the West, and | | | | |