Renzo - The Lion of the Gracie Family

"Who you are speaks so loudly that I can't hear what you're saying." -Emerson

There are many historical figures in the history of jiu-jitsu, especially in the Gracie family. So many great men, forged by an "iron sharpens iron" philosophy towards jiu-jitsu and life. A team of family members bringing out the best in one another, demonstrating how to build a tribe of competitors that are first teammates... brothers. Countless have followed this template first laid out in the Japanese Kodokan with Jigoro Kano and the likes of Mitsuyo Maeda. Maeda passed these traditions on to Renzo's Grandfather who passed them through the family down to Renzo. No one knows what he was blessed with more than the great, Renzo Gracie.

Renzo used these blessings to build himself into one of the most well-respected figures in jiu-jitsu, MMA and teachers of his art. He always credits his family and friends and shows thankfulness to those who preceeded him. He strives to be a worthy link in the chain of outstanding men whose family he was born to.

To me, Renzo is a brand, characterized by the fact that he is a normal, real guy on one hand, but an abnormally tenacious, fiery savage on the other. He is a pinch of Carlos, a dash of Helio and bit of Rolls carrying the torch with a sense of duty, to honor what his grandfather created. He has succeeded in this endeavor, but he is not done.

Renzo has wins over some all-time greats, both on the mat and in the cage, but these wins have told me less about his character than nights he may not have fond memories of. Some of his losses are legendary. It feels counterintuitive to write that, but the heart he showed in his fight with Kazushi Sakuraba as he watched his shoulder separate from his body... not tapping... never quitting.  Fighting Matt Hughes, a former UFC champion (for seven years), at forty-three years old. Who did he think he was? He's Renzo. His Metamoris (re)match with Sakuraba which was a draw but Renzo controlled the action and, like always, represented himself well. What if he had lost where he was most at home on the mats? Renzo doesn't seem to look at it that way. He's like, "Let's do it!"

Renzo is a man that has figured out that the journey is more important than the destination. How you do it is as important as what you do. Renzo has demonstrated a warrior spirit that is his legacy. All balls. A Tasmanian devil with the precision of a lion going for the throat. We will never have another Carlos Gracie Sr. We will never have another Rolls Gracie. And we will never have another Renzo.

                                                              -Gracie Lemon