Translated by: T a t i a n a S a n t o s (Asst. to Mr. C a r l s o n G r a c i e)
C A R L S O N
G R A C I E
I N T E R V I E W
GW: Whom have you trained with?
CG: My dad was the one who taught me.
GW: Do you accept the notion that Rorion & Helio has put forth that Helio is the one who modified what Carlos Gracie learned to what we know today as "Gracie Jiu-Jitsu?"
CG: No, I don't accept that, I learned with my father, not with Helio & as the years went by, the Jiu-Jitsu was modified with Everyone's help.
GW: Who did you fight besides Santana, and how many times did you fight Santana?
CG: Mentioning only the most important ones; Waldemar Santana: he was a great fighter who trained with us at our academy for 12 years. We fought 6 times. I won 4 and 2 were a draw. Passarito: also a great fighter, very strong & heavy. He was a Brazilian champion in Judo, Luta Livre & Boxing. We fought 4 times, I won 3 and 1 was a draw. Ivan Gomes: He was the most dangerous, a monster. The weight difference between us was absurd. It was a 30-minute fight, and it ended in a draw. He was so amazed that I fought him at all, and for so long that he wanted to study BJJ with me. We became very good friends, and he became a world champion fighting in Japan.
GW: What was Rolls Gracie's contribution to Gracie Jiu-Jitsu besides being a great teacher? Did he add or modify techniques?
CG: Rolls used to study with Helio and used to lose to all my students in the championships. So I invited him to come study with me, I taught him everything I knew. He had great technique and was only 72 Kg (158 lbs.). Yes he modified the techniques that I taught him to benefit his size.
GW: What fighting principles can you draw from your years in Vale Tudo fighting?
CG: Most important one would be technique. If I were to fight nowadays, I would do really well.
GW: When were you born & where?
CG: August 13, 1935 in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
GW: Talk about when you started your own academy.
CG: I used to teach at the Gracie academy in Brazil along with Helio. We had a disagreement and I thought it would be a good time to open my own academy. It was an instant success. I was a champion, so I was very popular which made for a record number of students within the first month.
Acknowledgements: T a t i a n a A n d r e s and C a r l s o n G r a c i e for their time and effort.
Copyright © 1997 George Wang. All Rights Reserved.
CREATED: December 20, 1997
REVISED: December 20, 1997