‘He was ahead of everybody’ – UFC legend Royce Gracie names surprise fighter as best ever

Royce Gracie has snubbed every UFC star ever when offering his view on who the greatest MMA fighter of all time is.

The UFC legend is currently in New York ahead of the promotion’s 30th anniversary show at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.

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Gracie is from a family of BJJ practitioners and he represented on the world stageCredit: Getty

Thirty years ago, he introduced the world to ‘The Gentle Art’ of Brazilian jiu-jitsu by winning the UFC’s inaugural event on November 12, 1993.

The MMA pioneer, who was just 26 at the time, used his submission grappling skills to defeat three bigger opponents during a tournament designed to discover the best martial art.

Gracie went on to win the UFC 2 and UFC 4 tournament. After emerging victoriously from his first bout at UFC 3, he withdrew from the competition due to exhaustion and dehydration.

Today, he is regarded by many as one of MMA’s best-ever fighters.

UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones is regarded by many as the sport’s greatest legend, but he does have rivals in the form of Georges St-Pierre, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Conor McGregor.

However, the 56-year-old overlooked them all as he named his father, Helio Gracie, as MMA’s ultimate fighter before backing up his surprising choice with a detailed explanation.

“He was way ahead,” Gracie told talkSPORT.com when asked to name the greatest fighter of all time ahead of the UFC’s anniversary show.

“My father was way ahead of everybody, not as a fighter but as a self-defence style.

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Helio created a system that allowed him to beat much bigger opponentsCredit: @realroyce – instagram

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It is now known worldwide after his son’s UFC successCredit: Getty

“You put a smaller guy and he defends himself against somebody who is bigger and stronger.

“You see it’s not the same way of fighting. You take all the rules out. No time limit, no gloves, no weight divisions, fighting three or four fights in one night.

“It was my father; he was ahead of everybody.”

Helio is considered by many the ‘Godfather of BJJ.’

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Gracie is a true pioneer of the sport celebrating its 30th anniversary this weekendCredit: @realroyce – instagram

Along with his brothers Oswaldo, Gastao Jr, George, and Carlos, he founded and developed the martial art system of Gracie jiu-jitsu which ultimately helped his son to dominate in the UFC.

Helio first put his skills to the test in 1932 when he fought national boxing champion Antonio Portugal. Gracie took him down and finished the bout with an arm-lock in 40 seconds.

Some of his fights ended in a draw after going 10 10-minute rounds, including a clash with judo specialist Takashi Namiki, and a wrestler who weighed 67lbs heavier than him.

Helio suffered the first defeat of his career in 1951 when he was submitted by an opponent who was 77lbs heavier and ended up finishing the Gracie with an ude-garami, an arm-lock known today as the kimura.

Four years later, he returned from retirement to face a former student.

The 43-year-old was knocked out by Waldemar Santana, 26, at the end of the longest fight in history, which lasted an incredible 3 hours and 43 minutes.

A dozen years later, Helio made another comeback and picked up a submission win before retiring for good, teaching the world about BJJ and allowing his sons to take the spotlight.

In 2009, Helio passed away at the age of 95, but his legacy still looms large and it’s hard to argue with his son’s assertion that he is the best fighter ever.

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