Ralph's 1995 American debut was featured in the short-lived Battlecade Extreme Fighting events. Gracie won fights versus Makoto Murauko, Steve Nelson, and Ali Mihoubi, the longest of which lasted a minute and thirty-four seconds. In sharp contrast to the typical "passive" Gracie approach, Ralph's aggressive and often brutal approach earned him the nickname of "The Pitbull". In 2003, Ralph ended his absence from fighting to pit his skills against modern MMA fighters, earning a decision win over Dokonjonosuke Mishima. The following year, he suffered a loss to Takanori Gomi, who stopped Gracie in six seconds with knee strikes to the head in what would be Gracie's last MMA fight. Upon retirement, Gracie held a record of six wins and one loss in sanctioned fights. He holds a fifth degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and has won several BJJ tournaments. Ralph also owns and operates a series of martial arts academies in California, as well as Florida, and has been doing so for over a decade.
Academies
Ralph Gracie currently has four academies in the San Francisco Bay Area and two in Orange County ; the largest of these being the San Francisco Academy. Notable instructor, and 6th degree black belt, Luis Eduardo Fraga, has been head instructor at the Berkeley Academy since 2007. Gracie taught former UFC welterweight and lightweight champion, BJ Penn, when he first came to California from Hawaii. In late 2016, Ralph Gracie Florida academy opened in the city ofPort Orange Volusia county under 5th degree black belt Regis Calixto. Regis Calixto grew up with Ralph himself alongside Renzo Gracie, Roberto Gordo Correa, Helio Soneca, Alexandre Soca, Vinicius Draculino and hundreds of the best Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in the world
It was reported on April 9, 2019 that warrant was issued for a felony charge in Orange County, California along with his student, Lincoln Jeferson Pereira, for attacking Flavio Almeida of Gracie Barra off the mats at 2018’s IBJJF World No-Gi Championships. Gracie fled to Brazil after the incident and did not appear to following court hearings, leading to being indicted for felony assault with an enhancement for inflicting great bodily injury. In September 2019, Gracie pled not guilty for the assault and is expected to appear in court next time on November 19, 2019.
