In a passionate interview Relson Gracie one of the founding family members of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu delivered a scathing critique of modern mixed martial arts and the UFC arguing that the sport has abandoned its technical roots in favor of spectacle and PEDs.
“The UFC doesn’t show anything technical”
Gracie stated in Pura Vida interview.
“You don’t learn anything at UFC there is no technique. It’s ster0ds expl0sion juice change kick.”
The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master expressed deep frustration with what he sees as the commercialization and bastardization of martial arts particularly the art his family developed and refined over decades.
According to Relson the shift away from technical proficiency began when traditional rules were abandoned in favor of entertainment value.
“They took away Hélio Gracie’s rules and it started off wrong”
he explained.
“They put in place the rules of the other federations. Then everything changed it started to hurt.”
This transformation he argues has created a system where MMA stars rely more on physical attributes and chemical enhancement rather than martial skill and technique.
The 70-year-old master particularly lamented the loss of self-defense applications which he considers the heart of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
“Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was created for you to defend yourself it’s not for championship it’s not going there to win the medal”
Gracie emphasized.
“The court was created for you to have self-defense. The jiu-jitsu was not created to be a competition champion.”
Relson’s criticism extends beyond the UFC to modern Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academies where he believes self-defense has been largely forgotten.
“How can someone be a black belt from Jiu-Jitsu if they don’t know self-defense? What Jiu-Jitsu is he teaching?”
This departure from the art’s founding principles represents in his view a fundamental betrayal of the Gracie legacy.
The influence of money and celebrity culture has according to Relson corrupted the martial arts world.
“The guy wants to see the jitsu rolling champion rolling. Nobody travels to Abu Dhabi the teacher goes to Abu Dhabi to teach. So Jiu-Jitsu has now become a market.”
This commercialization has created what he calls
“a cycle of necessity”
where MMA stars compete primarily for financial gain rather than martial excellence.
Relson contrasts this modern approach with the systematic teaching methods developed by his father Hélio Gracie and uncle Carlos Gracie. He described a structured 36-class course that covered all essential self-defense positions through constant repetition and refinement.
“You teach everything in 28 classes. The other 8 classes are just repeat repeat repeat.”
he explained emphasizing how this methodology created genuine martial competence. Of course, Relson is also selling this nowadays.
The veteran martial artist also criticized modern training methods arguing that students are rushed into advanced techniques without mastering fundamentals.
“The student can only start training after 15 classes learning the mount guard pass and back escape. Then you start training.”
he insisted.
“The guys make the guy train the guy doesn’t know how to mount escape he doesn’t know anything.”
Despite his criticisms Relson remains committed to preserving the original teachings of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. At 70 years old he continues to teach self-defense applications and maintains confidence in the effectiveness of traditional techniques.
“Nobody grabs my throat nobody puts a gun to me nobody kicks me. I say this with a full mouth and I’m on the street every day.”
