# Helio Gracie or Gene Lebell?



## Mider1985

This is a fun threat if you could learn grappling from one of these amazing guys who would it be?

Helio Gracie? Who's entire family and extended family is full of chamion grapplers. He's the grandmaster of BJJ he also probably has more fights under his belt then all his family combined

Or

Gene Lebell 10th Degree Judo black belt. Trained with and was able to HANG with Bruce Lee and taught him some grappling and judo skills. He also was in the first ever mixed martial arts fight EVER in the usa thought it wasnt called that. It was him vs a boxer called Milo Savage Gene Lebell won, even though the Boxer tried to cheat and had brass knuckles under his boxing gloves.


----------



## Tanaka

Gene Lebell.


----------



## oaktree

Gene Lebell just because I want to hear him for his stories on how he choked out Steven Segal.


----------



## bluewaveschool

oaktree said:


> Gene Lebell just because I want to hear him for his stories on how he choked out Steven Segal.


this


----------



## lklawson

Judo Gene.  His stories are better, has been "beaten up" as a stunt man by half the actions heroes on screen, and everything I've read says that Gracie is a jerk and I would probably hate him if I met him in person.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk


----------



## stone_dragone

Gene LeBell every day and twice on Sundays for all of the reasons listed...and he reminds me of my own instructor.


----------



## Omar B

Gene, because Judo appeals more to me ... and his English is marginally better.


----------



## Touch Of Death

Gene gives out Pins that say, "I got my leg Broken be Gene Labelle" everytime he breaks someone's leg. How cool is that?
Sean


----------



## elder999

Gene, for a variety of reasons, but mostly 'cause Helio is dead.


----------



## phfman

Pink Gene, Genie! He's the best that's come along. Who can beat him?


----------



## LuckyKBoxer

Ya I think your gonna have little luck with either now days.
Helio is gone, and Gene is in bad shape.
I saw Gene last a few years ago and he was definitely on the downhill slide physically.
Mentally he was ok, he just looks his age now.

I think personally I would pick Gene in his prime of knowledge, and just past his prime in physical ability to learn from.

I am a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and I would have loved to work adn train with Helio..
But just saying


----------



## Mider1985

LuckyKBoxer said:


> Ya I think your gonna have little luck with either now days.
> Helio is gone, and Gene is in bad shape.
> I saw Gene last a few years ago and he was definitely on the downhill slide physically.
> Mentally he was ok, he just looks his age now.
> 
> I think personally I would pick Gene in his prime of knowledge, and just past his prime in physical ability to learn from.
> 
> I am a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and I would have loved to work adn train with Helio..
> But just saying


 
You could still train with someone who trained under Helio and Rickson though like Pedro Suare is that how you say his name? But yeah Gene Lebell is still in Hollywood i think he and his number one student own a gym. Gokor teaches under him. i think Gokor is pretty good he's a sixth degree judo blackbelt he also adds sambo to his grappling system he's the heir to the Lebell grappling system ive heard thats what i read on Gene Lebell's website at least.


----------



## 72ronin

Gene LeBell, no contest.


----------



## David43515

Gene, no contest. He`s 10X cooler and I don`t speak Portugese. Heck, if it`s my fantasy training session, Gene might even give me my own pink gi.


----------



## LuckyKBoxer

Mider1985 said:


> You could still train with someone who trained under Helio and Rickson though like Pedro Suare is that how you say his name? But yeah Gene Lebell is still in Hollywood i think he and his number one student own a gym. Gokor teaches under him. i think Gokor is pretty good he's a sixth degree judo blackbelt he also adds sambo to his grappling system he's the heir to the Lebell grappling system ive heard thats what i read on Gene Lebell's website at least.


 
I have plenty of people who live around me that trained with Helio.
Its never the same its always different. I have trained directly with Carlos Gracie Jr. I also got to trian with Royce Gracie... great stuff, great guys, but not Helio.
I would train with them again in a moment if given the choice.
I met Gokor the same time I met Gene. There two guys are vastly different as well.


----------



## Mider1985

David43515 said:


> Gene, no contest. He`s 10X cooler and I don`t speak Portugese. Heck, if it`s my fantasy training session, Gene might even give me my own pink gi.


 
Does anyone know why He wears the pink gi and NO IM NOT making fun of Gene Lebell i LIKE my limbs were they are.


----------



## lklawson

Mider1985 said:


> Does anyone know why He wears the pink gi and NO IM NOT making fun of Gene Lebell i LIKE my limbs were they are.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Lebell#The_pink_gi

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk


----------



## MJS

I'd go with Gene.


----------



## Twin Fist

Gene any day of the week and twice on Sunday


----------



## Bruno@MT

Gene. No contest.


----------



## Skpotamus

I've always heard great things about Gene Lebell and would love to meet him and train with him, but I think if I could pick between the two, I'd pick Helio for training.  Helio created more champion level grapplers than just about any other trainer out there.  Gene's big name students were all actors, not fighters.  Helio's were world champions.


----------



## revfidel

This would be one of the greatest matches and would probably be a long one. Still, I would give it to Gene, because of his size, strength, knowledge of grappling, and many other arts.

Unfortunatlely, it will never happen; however, the next best would be Rickson vs. Gokor.

That would be one great match.


----------



## Victor Parlati

Gene, for all the reasons gven, plus two more: He learned catch submissions and setups from Lou Thesz and Karl Gotch.


----------



## frank raud

Mider1985 said:


> Gene Lebell 10th Degree Judo black belt. Trained with and was able to HANG with Bruce Lee and taught him some grappling and judo skills. He also was in the first ever mixed martial arts fight EVER in the usa thought it wasnt called that. It was him vs a boxer called Milo Savage Gene Lebell won, even though the Boxer tried to cheat and had brass knuckles under his boxing gloves.


 
There were many examples of jiu jitsu/ judo against wrestlers or boxers in the early 20th century    http://ejmas.com/jcs/jcsframe.htm


----------



## ppko

I am going with Gene Lebell not only for his great personality but also because he is one of the all time greats.  Add to this his great sense of humor and it becomes a no brainer for me.


----------



## searcher

Even though I am now a BJJ guy, I would go with Gene, just because he wears a pink gi.     Not to mention that his stuff would make my BJJ work in different ways.     And I don't speak Portuguese.


----------



## ETinCYQX

I'd take either one, really 6 in one and a half dozen in the other.

But, given the choice, Prof. Gracie I think. Purely because I like rolling better than standup grappling.


----------



## teekin

Gene!!!! I've worked with a guy who trained in the system set up by Gene and Steve. Their knowledge is so so vast. and they are cool. These guys are brutal beyond words. They do a mix of  BJJ, Sambo, catch and old school Judo. Their philosophy is to make you wish you never got on the mat with them, to punish you every second of the match, in every position. And they do produce champions. Not in some of the Gracie type tournies but in Judo and freestyle Judo. Some do go on to MMA.


----------



## chinaboxer

Judo Gene...i never got to grapple with him, but i did get to party with him at a hollywood after party, and he was so cool to just have a drink and talk with, Gene's the man!


----------



## Josh Oakley

Judo Gene. Because, at the end, you get a patch!


----------



## Brian R. VanCise

*I think learning from either guy would be great!*  However Helio is gone and Gene is still here if you want to learn from him!

On a different note Helio Gracie revolutionized martial practice in the last twenty years or so.  The BJJ revolution that swept the world was game changing for many.  On that alone he probably has to be considered to have the most impact of a martial practitioner in a long, long time!


----------



## Shinjuku Kid

Masahiro Kimura.  Like Kastriot George Mehdi, who started studying Gracie Jiujitsu with Professor Helio but left Brazil for Japan to study directly with Kimura sensei_._


----------

