Carlson was an early pioneer in mixed martial arts, founding one the most successful teams of the era, which spawned many champions. In 2000, following a financial dispute, many of Carlson Gracie's students would split from him to form another MMA team, the Brazilian Top Team. The so-called creontes by Carlson Gracie. Carlson fought a total of eighteen vale tudo fights, with only one loss to Luta Livre fighter Euclides Pereira in a fight that was held in Bahia. His first fight was on March 17, 1953 against capoeira practitioner Luiz "Cirandinha" Aguiar, apprentice of Mestre Sinhozinho. Carlson won by submission due to mounted strikes after a tough fight. His second match was a draw against another capoeirista, Wilson "Passarito" Oliveira, in May 1953. Carlson had a rematch with Passarito in March 1954 in the longest fight of his career, which he won in the fifth 30 minute round. Most notable are his four matches with Valdemar Santana, who had defeated his uncle Hélio Gracie in a fabled match in May 1955. He beat Santana in the first fight avenging his family. In October 1955 Carlson fought Santana to a draw in a jiu-jitsu match. In 1956 and 1957 Carlson won two fights and in 1959 they fought to a draw. Carlson Gracie trained many top competitors such as Anselmo Montenegro, Cássio Cardoso, Ricardo De La Riva, Allan Goes, Murilo Bustamante, Henrique Nogueira, Mario Sperry, Wallid Ismail, Pablo Popovitch, :pt:Vauvenargues "Marinho" Vicentini|Vauvenargues "Marinho" Vicentini, Kevin Christopher, Andre Madiz, Andre Pederneiras, Julio Fernandez, Ricardo Liborio, , Rodrigo Medeiros, Ricardo "Rey" Diogo, Marcelo Alonso, Mario Sukata and was also responsible for introducing and mastering Vitor Belfort into Gracie jiu-jitsu. Carlson Gracie also trained Stephan Bonnar, a finalist in the UFCreality showThe Ultimate Fighter 1. He was in Bonnar's corner during his fight against eventual The Ultimate Fighter winner Forrest Griffin. He is the author of a book on the subject of Jiu Jitsu titled Brazilian jiu-jitsu: For Experts Only, which includes his student Julio "Foca" Fernandez. The oldest son of Carlos Gracie, who founded Gracie jiu-jitsu in Rio de Janeiro during the 1920s, Carlson reigned as world champion for thirty years covering the '50s, '60s and '70s. Carlson catapulted to fame at the age of 23 when he avenged the defeat of his uncle Helio Gracie. A former student of Helio's, Waldemar Santana, had defeated the much older Helio during a match in 1955. That match lasted four hours. Carlson's rematch with Santana in 1956 was a much shorter affair: four rounds of vicious vale-tudo combat came to draw. After teaching at his uncle's academy for several years, he opened his own, where over the past thirty years many of the greatest names in jiu-jitsu and Mixed Martial Artists have trained as members of the famed Carlson Gracie Arrebentacao Team. Carlson's influence on no-holds-barred fighting is extensive as well, for the style of jiu-jitsu he taught at his academy was distinct from that being taught by Helio. While Helio's brand of jiu-jitsu emphasized defensive techniques aiming to allow the smaller and weaker to defeat the stronger opponent, Carlson and his brothers Carley Gracie and Rolls Gracie favored a much more active, 'warrior style' of jiu-jitsu that encouraged physical prowess and barraging your opponent with a series of attacks.
Death
Carlson Gracie died on February 1, 2006, in Chicago, Illinois, of heart failure, apparently the result of complications of kidney stones, following a hospitalization of several days. At the time of his death he was a ninth degree red belt and was referred to as Grandmaster.
Legacy
A bronze statue honoring Gracie will be installed next to his gym in Rio de Janeiro on August 12, 2019.
Instructor lineage
There's a controversy story that Geo Omori would have trained Carlos Gracie. Mitsuyo "Count Koma" Maeda → Carlos Gracie Sr. → Carlson Gracie
Personal life
Carlson had 3 children; Rosane, Karen & Carlson Gracie Jr. and two grandchildren. Julia by Karen, and Carlson III by Carlson Jr. Gracie was a close friend of fellow martial artist and Wing Chun Grandmaster Samuel Kwok. The two often touring and holding seminars together before his passing.
