Carley Gracie

Carley Gracie is a 9th-degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu red belt and the 11th child of BJJ founder Carlos Gracie. Known by the nickname “The Lion of the Gracie Family,” he is celebrated as the very first member of the family to bring Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to the United States (in 1972). He is also the father of prominent competitor Clark Gracie.

Early Life and Maturation
A Passion for Horses: Unlike many men in his family who trained from infancy, Carley picked up Jiu-Jitsu later in life. As a youth growing up at the family’s mountain estate in Teresópolis, he preferred spending his time around the stables caring for horses.

Training Hand-off: When he moved to Rio de Janeiro to take the sport seriously, he trained under his father, Carlos, rather than his uncle Helio. Carlos later handed Carley’s instruction over to his eldest brother, Carlson Gracie. Alongside Carlson, Carley became one of the primary champions defending the family name in public grappling challenges.

The Infamous Fist Fight with Helio Gracie
The book Carlos Gracie, the Creator of a Dynasty documents a rare and severe physical altercation between Carley and his uncle Helio at the family estate:

According to Carley, he was by the stables when Helio insulted him, saying, “You are as dumb as the horses you take care of!” After Carley warned his cousin Rorion to stop laughing at the remark, Helio told Carley to pretend he wasn’t his uncle and threw a punch that grazed his face. Carley responded with a takedown, mounted Helio, and landed punches that cut his uncle’s eyebrow before the family broke up the fight. Helio later apologetically referred to Carley as a “buffalo filled with adrenaline.”

Moving to America and the Marine Corps
The U.S. Consulate Connection: While in Rio, U.S. Marines guarding the American consulate sought out Carley for Jiu-Jitsu instruction. Impressed by how much their close combat skills improved, officials formally invited Carley to teach at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia.

Spreading BJJ: Accepting the offer in 1972, Carley taught the Marines before traveling to give seminars in Connecticut, Maryland, and Florida. He eventually settled permanently in California in 1979 to establish his academy.

The Historic Trademark Court Battle
In 1994, Carley became embroiled in a massive legal battle against his cousin Rorion Gracie. Rorion had legally registered a federal trademark for the term “Gracie Jiu-Jitsu” in an attempt to stop all other family members from using their own surname to promote their martial arts schools.

Because Carley had arrived in the U.S. first and had used the name for decades, he legally challenged the trademark. Following a long and incredibly expensive dispute, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Carley’s favor and ordered the cancellation of Rorion’s federal trademark registration, granting the rest of the family the right to use their name.