# Royce Gracie trains in a style Ive heard



## PhotonGuy (Dec 6, 2014)

Although Royce Gracie is best known for JiuJitsu I also heard he trains in a style of Karate. Im not sure but I think it might be Goju Ryu.


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## Chris Parker (Dec 8, 2014)

I haven't ever heard anything along those lines… in fact, it would seem to go against what Royce has said. At a seminar with him a few years back, he was asked about what his take on MMA was… and, in essence, he said that "people who do MMA only do it because they can't do (only) one thing well enough"… with the implication that BJJ (specifically Gracie JJ) was all anyone would ever need, if they were good enough at it… those that do striking, or cross-training, or anything along those lines, such as MMA approaches, are simply compensating for their lack of ability in the one area by adding others.

Again, that was Royce's view, not necessarily mine… but I don't think it supports the idea of him also doing karate. I'd be interested if anyone else has heard something about it, though…


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## Hanzou (Dec 8, 2014)

From what I know of the family, they're not too fond of karate or kata. As far as I know, they tend to gravitate towards boxing or MT kickboxing.

I'm not saying that it wouldn't be possible, it just seems unlikely.


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## Brian R. VanCise (Dec 8, 2014)

Do you have a link because I have not heard this before?


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## PhotonGuy (Dec 8, 2014)

Its something I heard from some casual discussion about Royce and Im trying to validate it, to see if anybody else heard anything about it. Although I haven't found any solid evidence on it, I wouldn't be surprised if he did. There is value in training in styles that are radically different than your primary style, for one thing you can learn better on how to defend against that style.


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## Buka (Dec 9, 2014)

Might be the start of a new snappy line -

"That's as likely as a Gracie taking Karate."


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## Transk53 (Dec 9, 2014)

PhotonGuy said:


> There is value in training in styles that are radically different than your primary style, for one thing you can learn better on how to defend against that style.



In what way though, an open tournament or seminar type thing?


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## Hanzou (Dec 9, 2014)

PhotonGuy said:


> Its something I heard from some casual discussion about Royce and Im trying to validate it, to see if anybody else heard anything about it. Although I haven't found any solid evidence on it, I wouldn't be surprised if he did. There is value in training in styles that are radically different than your primary style, for one thing you can learn better on how to defend against that style.



The Gracies have a very good track record against Karate;


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## Danny T (Dec 9, 2014)

Chris Parker said:


> I haven't ever heard anything along those lines… in fact, it would seem to go against what Royce has said. At a seminar with him a few years back, he was asked about what his take on MMA was… and, in essence, he said that "people who do MMA only do it because they can't do (only) one thing well enough"… with the implication that BJJ (specifically Gracie JJ) was all anyone would ever need, if they were good enough at it… those that do striking, or cross-training, or anything along those lines, such as MMA approaches, are simply compensating for their lack of ability in the one area by adding others.
> 
> Again, that was Royce's view, not necessarily mine… but I don't think it supports the idea of him also doing karate. I'd be interested if anyone else has heard something about it, though…


Don’t know about Royce training in karate but as to his statements on MMA, perhaps he has changed? Don't keep up with everything about the Gracies however, in a interview a few months after Metamoris 3 with ‘The MMA Hour’ when asked about competing under grappling rules,Royce stated …”I haven’t got any offers, but I don’t compete in grappling rules, I’m a MMA fighter man, I’m a MMA fighter all the way.” Or, perhaps he was being facetious.


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## Tony Dismukes (Dec 9, 2014)

Per statements he has made, Royce does have a black belt in karate, although I don't know the style.

Here's one interview where he makes the claim.

I don't believe he studied karate for the sake of using the art, but for the sake of understanding how to fight against it.


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## Tony Dismukes (Dec 9, 2014)

Danny T said:


> Don’t know about Royce training in karate but as to his statements on MMA, perhaps he has changed? Don't keep up with everything about the Gracies however, in a interview a few months after Metamoris 3 with ‘The MMA Hour’ when asked about competing under grappling rules,Royce stated …”I haven’t got any offers, but I don’t compete in grappling rules, I’m a MMA fighter man, I’m a MMA fighter all the way.” Or, perhaps he was being facetious.



When Royce says that he is a MMA fighter, he is referring to the _competition format_ which incorporates both striking and grappling. When he criticizes modern MMA, he is criticizing the modern _fighting art_ that MMA is becoming which is synthesized from a variety of older arts. He's much more of a "style vs style" guy.


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## Hanzou (Dec 9, 2014)

Tony Dismukes said:


> Per statements he has made, Royce does have a black belt in karate, although I don't know the style.
> 
> Here's one interview where he makes the claim.
> 
> I don't believe he studied karate for the sake of using the art, but for the sake of understanding how to fight against it.



That's interesting. I wonder what style he has a black belt in.


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## Chris Parker (Dec 9, 2014)

Danny T said:


> Don’t know about Royce training in karate but as to his statements on MMA, perhaps he has changed? Don't keep up with everything about the Gracies however, in a interview a few months after Metamoris 3 with ‘The MMA Hour’ when asked about competing under grappling rules,Royce stated …”I haven’t got any offers, but I don’t compete in grappling rules, I’m a MMA fighter man, I’m a MMA fighter all the way.” Or, perhaps he was being facetious.



Perhaps… the comments I mentioned were part of a Q&A session at the end of a seminar here some 5 years or so back.



Tony Dismukes said:


> Per statements he has made, Royce does have a black belt in karate, although I don't know the style.
> 
> Here's one interview where he makes the claim.
> 
> I don't believe he studied karate for the sake of using the art, but for the sake of understanding how to fight against it.



Interesting… cool find.


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## Danny T (Dec 9, 2014)

Tony Dismukes said:


> When Royce says that he is a MMA fighter, he is referring to the _competition format_ which incorporates both striking and grappling. When he criticizes modern MMA, he is criticizing the modern _fighting art_ that MMA is becoming which is synthesized from a variety of older arts. He's much more of a "style vs style" guy.


He trained Muay Thai, Fairtex if I remember correctly prior to his fight with Matt Hughes


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## Transk53 (Dec 9, 2014)

Danny T said:


> He trained Muay Thai, Fairtex if I remember correctly prior to his fight with Matt Hughes



Really, that is interesting. Well at least from what I understand from the thread.


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## Manny (Dec 9, 2014)

I want to ask did the gracies that compete UFC loose to somebody? I mean all the clips I have seen abou the gracies they win in all of them so I was wondering if someone beat them at leas once and want to know how was it.

Manny


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## Probs92 (Dec 9, 2014)

Chris Parker said:


> I haven't ever heard anything along those lines… in fact, it would seem to go against what Royce has said. At a seminar with him a few years back, he was asked about what his take on MMA was… and, in essence, he said that "people who do MMA only do it because they can't do (only) one thing well enough"… with the implication that BJJ (specifically Gracie JJ) was all anyone would ever need, if they were good enough at it… those that do striking, or cross-training, or anything along those lines, such as MMA approaches, are simply compensating for their lack of ability in the one area by adding others.
> 
> Again, that was Royce's view, not necessarily mine… but I don't think it supports the idea of him also doing karate. I'd be interested if anyone else has heard something about it, though…




I think what I would take away from that is that these mma dudes practice a whole mess of things without truly grasping any of them. Yeah they can throw down like nobody's business, but in the end they are a jack-of-all-trades and master of none.

In regards to his training in karate? I wouldn't doubt it. Many BJJ guys do karate as a base stand up game. Lyoto Machida, arguably one of the better UFC fighters, started with Shotokan Karate when he was young, and frankly you can tell by the way he moves in the octagon.


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## Tony Dismukes (Dec 9, 2014)

Manny said:


> I want to ask did the gracies that compete UFC loose to somebody? I mean all the clips I have seen abou the gracies they win in all of them so I was wondering if someone beat them at leas once and want to know how was it.



Are you asking about any MMA or just the UFC?

In the UFC, both Royce and Renzo Gracie have lost to Matt Hughes. Roger Gracie lost to Tim Kennedy.

Various Gracies have also lost a number of fights in other MMA promotions.

The technical level of MMA fighters has come a long, long way in the last 20 years. At this point I don't believe there are any Gracie family members competing at the highest levels of MMA.


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## Hanzou (Dec 9, 2014)

Manny said:


> I want to ask did the gracies that compete UFC loose to somebody? I mean all the clips I have seen abou the gracies they win in all of them so I was wondering if someone beat them at leas once and want to know how was it.
> 
> Manny



The Gracies have been beat several times. Matt Hughes pulverized Royce Gracie in the first round of their UFC bout in 2006, and Kazushi Sakuraba beat so many Gracies that he became known as the "Gracie Hunter" in Japan. The majority of the people that beat them though learned Bjj first, and then beat them. What added so much to their mystique was the perceived invincibility of Bjj before it was dispersed worldwide, and the bravado at which the Gracies promoted their art.

Love them or hate them, it took balls to put yourself on the line like they did over and over again.


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## Danny T (Dec 9, 2014)

Hanzou said:


> .
> Love them or hate them, it took balls to put yourself on the line like they did over and over again.


Absolutely! And because of it I feel the martial arts world is better for it.


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## Zero (Dec 11, 2014)

Hanzou said:


> The Gracies have been beat several times. Matt Hughes pulverized Royce Gracie in the first round of their UFC bout in 2006, and Kazushi Sakuraba beat so many Gracies that he became known as the "Gracie Hunter" in Japan. The majority of the people that beat them though learned Bjj first, and then beat them. What added so much to their mystique was the perceived invincibility of Bjj before it was dispersed worldwide, and the bravado at which the Gracies promoted their art.
> 
> Love them or hate them, it took balls to put yourself on the line like they did over and over again.



Can't believe no one much remembers or aware of that 2000 Pride match of Sakuraba vs Royce, a marathon 90 minute battle, with Sakuraba coming out on top (that was the one where Coleman (possibly roided to the max (maybe not...)) was unstoppable and took the overall tournament).  Sakuraba then later went on to break Royce's arm/elbow when Royce would not submit.  One of my favourite fighters, he defeated Royce, Renzo, Ryan and Royler.  Those masks were a real hoot also!!!


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## Zero (Dec 11, 2014)

And ouch:


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## Tony Dismukes (Dec 11, 2014)

Zero said:


> Can't believe no one much remembers or aware of that 2000 Pride match of Sakuraba vs Royce, a marathon 90 minute battle, with Sakuraba coming out on top (that was the one where Coleman (possibly roided to the max (maybe not...)) was unstoppable and took the overall tournament).  *Sakuraba then later went on to break Royce's arm/elbow when Royce would not submit.*  One of my favourite fighters, he defeated Royce, Renzo, Ryan and Royler.  Those masks were a real hoot also!!!



It was Renzo's arm that Sakuraba broke, not Royce's. Saku was a real killer with that Kimura armlock.

Ralek Graice managed to defeat Sakuraba some years later. I believe he spent a lot of time training to steer clear of the Kimura.


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## Zero (Dec 12, 2014)

Tony Dismukes said:


> It was Renzo's arm that Sakuraba broke, not Royce's. Saku was a real killer with that Kimura armlock.
> 
> Ralek Graice managed to defeat Sakuraba some years later. I believe he spent a lot of time training to steer clear of the Kimura.


Thanks for the correction!
Not Gracie bashing at all as thought they were brilliant fighters but I remember being disappointed over a fight between Frank Shamrock, that often troubled but brilliant and gifted fighter, and Renzo when Shamrock was disqualified for a knee (or two) into Renzos head.  Renzo wouldn't come back into the fight and Shamrock's line was "he thought they had come to fight" (not in the rules though, tut tut...). I thnk Shamrock had beat Cessar a few years earlier...


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## Buka (Dec 12, 2014)

Danny T said:


> Absolutely! And because of it I feel the martial arts world is better for it.



That's truth, right there.


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## ShotoNoob (Sep 20, 2015)

Chris Parker said:


> I haven't ever heard anything along those lines… in fact, it would seem to go against what Royce has said.
> 
> Again, that was Royce's view, not necessarily mine… but I don't think it supports the idea of him also doing karate. I'd be interested if anyone else has heard something about it, though…


\
I think yours is the accurate assessment.... I don't believe Royce Gracie knows anything about karate.



Buka said:


> Might be the start of a new snappy line -
> 
> "That's as likely as a Gracie taking Karate."


\
Runner up for the accurate assessment of Gracie knowledge of karate...



Hanzou said:


> The Gracies have a very good track record against Karate;


\
Correction:  The Gracie's have a very good track record against 'karate' _IN THEIR PROMOTIONAL VIDEOS...._



Tony Dismukes said:


> Per statements he has made, Royce does have a black belt in karate, although I don't know the style.
> 
> Here's one interview where he makes the claim.
> 
> I don't believe he studied karate for the sake of using the art, but for the sake of understanding how to fight against it.


\
Well, IMHO, the first part of your last sentence is certainly true.  On the 2nd part of that sentence.... the Gracie penetration of strikers is typically demonstrated using boxing form, some bad boxing form @ that....



Probs92 said:


> I think what I would take away from that is that these mma dudes practice a whole mess of things without truly grasping any of them. Yeah they can throw down like nobody's business, but in the end they are a jack-of-all-trades and master of none.
> 
> In regards to his training in karate? I wouldn't doubt it. Many BJJ guys do karate as a base stand up game. Lyoto Machida, arguably one of the better UFC fighters, started with Shotokan Karate when he was young, and frankly you can tell by the way he moves in the octagon.


\
Machida trained the Shotokan karate base from childhood through adulthood.  Royce Gracie has no such experience.... that any one has substantiated....



Hanzou said:


> The Gracies have been beat several times. Matt Hughes pulverized Royce Gracie in the first round of their UFC bout in 2006, and Kazushi Sakuraba beat so many Gracies that he became known as the "Gracie Hunter" in Japan. The majority of the people that beat them though learned Bjj first, and then beat them. What added so much to their mystique was the perceived invincibility of Bjj before it was dispersed worldwide, and the bravado at which the Gracies promoted their art.
> 
> Love them or hate them, it took balls to put yourself on the line like they did over and over again.


\
Matt Hughes literally sailed through Royce Gracie's 'karate style.'  If you could call it that.  Matt Hughes also flattened Royce Gracie's BJJ like a pancake....


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