Report Last Updated - 2/03
Birthdate - 3/11/67
5'10" 185 lbs. - Rio de Janiero, Brazil
Team - Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
Style - Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Career Highlights
- Beats Ben Strijkers, Phil Benedict, and James Warring to win only World Combat Championship tournament
- Defeats Oleg Taktarov by knockout in the only MARS main event
- Goes over 50 minutes before finally defeating Sanae Kikuta at Pride 2
- Beats Alexander Otsuka at Pride 8 via decision
- Wins the 167-176 lbs. class at Abu Dhabi 2000 by defeating Jean Jacques Machado

Striking - People often consider Renzo Gracie to be the best of the legendary family members. One of the reasons is because he is a capable striker on top of his mastery of grappling. He will duke it out with the best Muay Thai fighters and can kick and punch very well. Gracie though likes to get locked up and wear opponents down with sharp knees, than rely on the mat game. Even when he's down and his opponent is standing, he can be dangerous with up thrusting kicks that can force opponents to grapple on the ground.

Wrestling - Renzo is decent at shooting legs and manuevering on the ground, but it is his weakest area. He looked good in MMA's formative years, but the masses have caught up with him. Renzo, like one would expect, knows how and what he sould do, but often chooses not to. He's been caught while trying to wrestle and has grown leary, but with that awareness comes a tentative nature that hurts at times as well.

Hooking - If one questions the sometimes unseen grappling skill of Renzo Gracie, bear in mind he has been successful not only in NHB fighting, but in the strictly grappling Abu Dhabi tournaments. He knows the Gracie Guard and can work it as well as anyone, but prefers to be more aggressive. In his younger years he was more balls-to-the-wall in his approach and now he's a little more passive. When offered an opening

Strengthes - Unlike the traditional Gracie style, Renzo has adapted the style to be more aggressive and MMA-oriented. He is determined to be one of the elite and will do whatever it takes be it intense physical conditioning, thorough training, or trying to alter his style to be more dangerous. Renzo has a high threshold of pain and is not one who taps out. Renzo is definitely a very capable grappler and shines when other grapplers push his abilities.

Weaknesses - While Renzo Gracie was one of the early cross-training fighters and saw success because of it, he's struggled to keep up with the new breed. Renzo Gracie got involved with Pride and has had mixed results. The competitors were cross-training as well and the rules didn't favor submission fighters as much as RINGS, but he found his legs. Gracie is usually protected by going against fighters who aren't primarily strikers, but he's struggled with the striking skills those guys have. Gracie really needs opponents to push him or he backs off and things drag or even worse he can lose. One has to assume he'd be killed by the top strikers nowerdays, so he'll never be a top middleweight in Pride because he won't get past those types.

Outlook - The man often considered the best Gracie always looks good in his fights, but he's not as ego-driven as his relatives. The most affable Gracie takes on very credible opponents and it doesn't always work out for him. Renzo Gracie might not have the track records of his cousins Royce and Rickson, but he is often held in higher regard due to his attitude and well-roundness. Expect Renzo to continue fighting though more sparingly, however his students will continue his legacy by combining the excellent BJJ technique and sound striking that is his trademark.