Helio Gracie Competing Against Masahiko Kimura 1951

On October 23, 1951, Helio Gracie faced Masahiko Kimura who outweighed him by nearly 80 lbs. It was the first time that a jiu-jitsu world championship match would be held outside of Japan. And the Japanese champion Kimura was so confident of victory. That he declared that if Helio could last for more than 3 minutes, he should be declared the winner.

After 13 minutes, Kimura caught Helio in the shoulder lock which today bears Kimura’s name. Helio wouldn’t tap, so Carlos Gracie threw in the towel forfeiting the match to the Japanese giant. His loss to Kimura was considered one of the greatest victories of Helio Gracie’s career.

And it was fighting like this that built the legacy of the Gracie family. Helping to build their brand of Jiu-Jitsu and establishing them on the world stage in the hearts and minds of combat sports fans. While in reality losing, Helio’s tenacity and willingness to go up against the much bigger man on. Only helped to prove his martial art was an improvement on all that went before.

T: twitter.com/MMAmicks