Rose Gracie
Rose Gracie is a Brazilian and American sports industry entrepreneur and a member of the largest and most legendary family in combat sports, the Gracies. She is the granddaughter of Grandmaster Helio Gracie, the great-granddaughter of Grandmaster Carlos Gracie, and the daughter of UFC creator Rorion Gracie. To say that MMA and Jiu-Jitsu run in her veins is an understatement, as both of her parents are members of the Gracie family, and she has done and continues to do so much for the combat sports community through her philanthropic work and her community changes as a fighters’ advocate.
She is the creator and founder of the Gracie Tournament series, which started in 2008 with events like the Gracie Worlds, Gracie Nationals, and Gracie Regionals. In 2012, she developed a “submission only” ruleset that eliminated the points systems from competitions and challenged the way mainstream Jiu-Jitsu tournaments were run. She single-handedly split Jiu-Jitsu styles and points of view, leading the way for several events that used her rules as a foundation, such as Metamoris, the Eddie Bravo Invitational (EBI), and Combat Jiu-Jitsu, to name a few. These innovations helped develop the greatest stars in Jiu-Jitsu to date.
Gracie works alongside prominent members of the fighting community and is known as a problem solver. In her own words, “I grew up in this community, and I have the largest network of close friends and family. If something needs to be done that would take someone else days, weeks, or even months, I usually can handle it over a couple of text messages… why not? There is really no science behind it, just a few texts and calls to people that I grew up with.” She has worked at her family’s Jiu-Jitsu schools worldwide throughout her career, and she has consulted extensively in the combat sports industry in all areas, from athlete management to running gyms and associations. She is recognized as a hub of resources within the community. Most people say, “If Rose can’t fix it, then chances are there is no solution.” Because of her close relationship with her family and fighters and their families, they trust her to lead them in the right direction, making her a vital point of reference for the combat sports community worldwide.
In October 2018, Gracie advised the Concussion Legacy Foundation for its Global Brain Bank partnership launch with the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil. She is in their National Advisory Board and continues to serve as a liaison to support development, recruitment, and media efforts for the CLF Global Brain Bank and USP in Brazil. In January 2019, Gracie and the Concussion Legacy Foundation launched the Gracie Concussion Challenge to accelerate research and awareness for brain injury and CTE in the combat sports community. Gracie leads recruitment and promotion for the Gracie Concussion Challenge.
In 2020, alongside Carla Duran and combat sports lawyer Erik Magraken, she launched Fighting Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit that helps fighters in the combat sports community with education, research, resources, and treatment.
In 2021, alongside Carla and Erik, she spearheaded the movement to create the first-ever fighters’ committee within the ABC (Association of Boxing Commissions) and formed a strong partnership with the ARP (Association of Ringside Physicians).
Gracie works closely with several universities in the USA and Brazil to help research and education in the combat sports areas and have initiated brain testing alongside the Brazilian Athletes Union in Brazil.
She has three daughters, hosts podcasts, documentaries, events, and talks on the subjects of CTE, fighters rights, cannabis for athletes, her family business management, and currently lives between Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and California, USA.