About Rickson Gracie
Rickson Gracie (Portuguese: [ˈʁiksõ ˈɡɾejsi]; born November 21, 1959) is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist. He is a member of the Gracie family: the third oldest son of Hélio Gracie, brother to Rorion and Relson Gracie, and half-brother to Rolker, Royce, Robin and Royler Gracie. In the 1980s and 1990s, he was widely considered to be the best fighter of the Gracie clan, and one of the toughest in the world. In July 2017, he was promoted to ninth-degree red belt, the second-highest ranking in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Rickson Gracie is considered an important pioneer for both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and mixed martial arts (MMA). He had several vale tudo bouts in Brazil in the 1980s, and in the 1990s Gracie became a high-profile competitor in Japan, having won Vale Tudo Japan 1994 and 1995, he also headlined Pride 1 and Pride 4 against popular professional wrestler Nobuhiko Takada, all which are credited to have helped to popularize the sport in Japan. He retired with an undefeated record of 11 wins and no losses, all by submission. == Biography == Rickson Gracie, son of Helio Gracie, received his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu at age 18 in 1977. === Matches against Rei Zulu === At 20, Gracie was pitted in a high-profile fight in Brasília against famous Brazilian professional wrestler and fighter Casemiro "Rei Zulu" Nascimento Martins (father of Zuluzinho). Rei Zulu was not a qualified martial artist, having only a background in a supposedly indigenous wrestling style named tarracá, but he weighed 230 pounds (104 kg) and had experience in the vale tudo circuit, being supposedly 270–0 at the time.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.