Diego carlos gracie biography

BY LUCA ATALLA

STRUCK DOWN AT THE HEIGHT OF HIS POWER, POPULARITY, AND INFLUENCE, ROLLS GRACIE IS CONSIDERED JIU-JITSU'S GREATEST TECHNICAL INNOVATOR, AND ALSO ITS MOST TRAGIC STORY…

      On quiet nights, when the sun has dipped below the horizon and a cool breeze blows off the ocean, Brazilian jiu-jitsu masters, in a quiet voice, will gather the young students together and tell them the story of a skinny kid from Rio, with blue eyes and a quick laugh, who became a champion three decades earlier and changed a sport forever.

Defending the honor of jiu-jitsu against all-comers, in all types of combat, Rolls Gracie became the hero of an entire generation who, to this day, still mourn him. To those who don't know the story, listen, learn, and take to heart the brief story of Rolls Gracie — brief because of a tragic accident, at the age of 31, that stole him away from those he touched so deeply.

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