![]() ![]() Gracie and Kato fought to a draw after 30 minutes at Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, and fought again 24 days later in Sao Paulo. Kimura stated he would fight Gracie if he defeated Karo, although he didn’t believe that would be possible. "I’m sure Kato will also win, so that’s better that way." "When I defeat Helio they would say it was because of my weight," Kimura told the media at the time. Kimura traveled to Brazil and offered Kato as an opponent for the Gracie, which he accepted. He easily defeated Landulfo Caribé and Azevedo Maia by submission, but Japanese star Masahiko Kimura wanted revenge for the previous losses of his countrymen. Gracie missed fighting, so he decided to return 13 years later. He took two more fights before focusing only in teaching jiu-jitsu, and submitted Erwin Klausner and "Espingarda". N 1937, Gracie entered the ring twice, fighting Takeo Yano to a draw – Yano ran away from the Brazilian for most of the fight – and submitting Massagouchi with an arm-lock. After 100 minutes, the contest was declared a draw. Ono took Gracie down repeatedly, but neither one could finish the bout. The Japanese fighter entered the arena saying he could defeat five members of the Gracie family in one night, and he almost submitted Helio in the first round with an arm-lock. Gracie fought again later that year against Yassuiti Ono. "It was my most violent fight," Helio told Reila Gracie on her book about Carlos Gracie, "but I won." Orlando Americo da Silva was 48 pounds heavier than him, but Gracie still managed to knock him out with soccer kick after 19 minutes of combat. Gracie returned to the ring on 1935 for the bloodiest fight of his career. Gracie fought 260-pounder Wladek Zbyszko on 1934, but the fight was declared a draw after two rounds. Two years later, the Brazilian fought Japanese grappler Taro Mysaki for 22 minutes, choking him out from the mount. Gracie weighted 138 pounds at that time and fought Ebert for one hour and 40 minutes, but the boxing commission called the police to end the event because "it was too violent". ![]() In November of 1932, Gracie fought again against Fred Ebert, a 205-pound wrestler, at Sao Cristovao Atletico Clube in Rio de Janeiro. Gracie asked for another bout, but Namiki declined. He returned to the ring months later against judo specialist Takashi Namiki, but the fight was declared a draw after 10 10-minute rounds. Gracie quickly took him down and finished the bout with arm-lock in 40 seconds. Helio Gracie’s first fight took place in Colyseu Intenacional in 1932 against national boxing champion Antonio Portugal. He always accepted the challenges presented in Vale-Tudo – the way MMA was called in Brazil in the past – and we remember his 17 fights below. Helio Gracie learned jiu-jitsu with his brother Carlos Gracie, and was one of those responsible for what we have today in MMA. Helio Gracie, the godfather of jiu-jitsu, would have turned 100 years old Tuesday if he was alive, and many still don’t know about the battles he fought inside the ring. ![]()
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