After this fight Gracie left the UFC.Īt UFC 45 in November 2003, at the ten-year anniversary of the UFC, Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie became the first inductees into the UFC Hall of Fame. However, the swollen eye was a result of a standing punch due to a sudden change of the rules in which both of the fighters were restarted on their feet. The draw sparked much debate and controversy as to who would have won the fight had judges determined the outcome, or had there been no time limits, as by the end of the fight Gracie's right eye was swollen shut. The match lasted for 30 minutes and a 6-minute overtime.
Time limits were re-introduced into the sport in 1995 and Ken Shamrock would become the first fighter to survive Royce Gracie's submission attack and earn a draw. The match extended beyond the pay-per-view time slot and viewers, who missed the end of the fight, demanded their money back. To end the match, Royce locked his legs in a triangle choke for a submission victory. Gracie's final UFC victory was in a match that lasted for 16 minutes (there were no rounds or time limits at the time), during which he was continuously pinned underneath 260 pound (118 kg) wrestler Dan Severn. Gracie submitted 51-year-old Ron van Clief in the opening round with a rear-naked choke, and then submitted Keith Hackney in the semi-finals. This was the first event which Gracie did not win. Royce entered into the ring and threw in the towel. However, he withdrew from his next fight with Harold Howard before it began due to exhaustion and dehydration. Gracie then submitted 250-lb Judo and Taekwondo black belt Remco Pardoel with a lapel choke, and won the final bout against Patrick Smith, when his opponent submitted to punches from the top position.Īt UFC 3, Royce was matched up in the first round against Kimo Leopoldo and won via submission after 4 minutes and 40 seconds. Advancing into the quarterfinals, Royce Gracie defeated future Pancrase veteran Jason DeLucia, submitting him via armbar just over a minute into the bout. The fight had gone 5:08, which was longer than Royce's 3 bouts in the first event (totaling 4:59). In the next tournament, Gracie began his defense of the title by submitting Japanese fighter Minoki Ichihara - a second degree black belt in Karatedo Daido Juku and Kyokushin karate, who was billed by the UFC at the time as a "living legend" in Tokyo who had won over 60 full-contact fights. In the semi-finals, Gracie defeated Ken Shamrock and went on to defeat a Karate and Savate practitioner Gerard Gordeau, taking his opponent to the ground and securing a rear choke.
Mounted and with only one free arm, Jimmerson conceded defeat. He tackled him to the ground using a baiana (morote-gari or double-leg) and obtained the dominant "mounted" position, also pinning Jimmerson's left arm around the boxer's own neck. In his first match, Gracie defeated journeyman boxer Art Jimmerson. Mixed martial arts career Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) UFC 1
Royce Gracie ( Portuguese: born 12 December 1966) is a Brazilian semi-retired professional mixed martial artist, a UFC Hall of Famer, and a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu practitioner.