If you thought training for the army was tough, imagine showing up to combatives training and seeing a member of the Gracie family staring back at you.
That’s what the 75th Ranger Regiment will be faced with, according to a report from stripes.com. Kheydon Gracie, son of Royce Gracie, signed up for the Army on September 22, posing for photos with his family.
MMA Legend’s Son Enlists in US Army
MMA fans will remember Royce Gracie as one of the sport’s first stars, a diminutive Brazilian fighter who dominated men twice his size with what was then an unknown martial art: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
The Gracie family are best known for developing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, highlighting the ground-fighting aspects of Japanese martial arts. The family were instrumental in the early development of mixed martial arts as a sport, often competing in the US as well as overseas to show off their freshly developed combat system.
Although BJJ was initially seen as a niche or minority fighting style, particularly compared to the spectacular kicks and punches of the various kickboxing styles, over the years it has become an integral part of the mixed martial artist’s arsenal. It’s rare to see or hear of an MMA fighter with zero grappling ability.
Royce Gracie, Kheydon’s son, initially learned how to fight from his father, Helio Gracie. He is most famous for his intense rivalry with Ken Shamrock, tournament victories at UFC 1, 2, and 4, and from humble beginnings in Rio de Janeiro was recently inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
Kheydon Gracie, 19, is enlisted on an 11x contract with a Ranger option. This means that he will a shot at selection for the 75th Ranger Regiment should he pass several training courses, including basic infantry training, airborne school and the eight-week Ranger assessment and selection program.
The 75th Ranger Regiment is the US Army’s elite light infantry unit and largest special operations force. The Rangers were often deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past few decades. The Rangers are typically deployed in direct action raids, generally intended to either kill or capture a high value target. One such raid was a targeted strike against Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, then the leader of ISIS/ISIL.
The Gracie family’s involvement with the US military is not as recent as this enlistment may suggest. Royce Gracie has worked with Navy SEALs as well as Army Rangers over the years, imparting the wisdom of his combat sports career and BJJ innovation.
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