Even legends of the game get old. Vale tudo pioneer and MMA legend Rickson Gracie recently revealed in an interview with Kyra Gracie that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Gracie is now 64 and retired undefeated in 2000. Gracie insists that his diagnosis is not necessarily a bad thing, but a “gift from God.”
MMA Legend Rickson Gracie Reveals “Gift From God” Parkinson’s Diagnosis
“I’m ready for anything in my life. I accept not only my mistakes, but also my victories. I accept life and what I’ve done, so I’m happy today. But this neurologic condition opened my eyes to my age and to reality.
It hasn’t changed much since then, but I have some hand tremors, a certain movement deficiency, things I didn’t have before.
I don’t see it as a surprise, but as another gift from God to see what I’m going to do about it. If I give you a lot of money and you do bad things, money hasn’t served for anything.
But if I give you a lot of money and you do good things, then I’m proud I’ve given you so much money.” Gracie continued, expressing gratitude for his success in life.
“God has given me a situation I can transform for the good. And the most important reaction I have today in my life is that I can really express my gratitude for jiu-jitsu, to continue working for jiu-jitsu and empowering people, transforming it in a way that makes [jiu-jitsu] more accessible for those that need it the more.
So I see myself swimming freely on a perfect blue ocean, waiting for the next day without too much concern.” Rickson Gracie is the son of Helio Gracie, one of the founding fathers of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
The Gracie family was instrumental in developing and promoting the martial art from its inception in the early 20th century. In fact, the earliest days of mixed martial arts were, in no small part, a promotional exercise to showcase Gracie Jiu-Jitsu’s effectiveness.
Readers who recall the early days of the UFC and Pride will remember the likes of Royce and Rickson Gracie using their grappling prowess to defeat larger, stronger opponents, back before MMA had any weight divisions. The biggest moment of Gracie’s career was when he flew to Japan to face Nobuhiko Takada, who he defeated twice.
While Rickson Gracie’s official professional record ended at the turn of the century, he claims over 450 unofficial victories, and zero defeats, over the course of his life.
