It was back in December 2018, during the IBJJF No-Gi Worlds, when Ralph Gracie hit Flávio Almeida in the face.
The Gracie was thereafter sentenced to six months in prison in a closed regime in the United States, in addition to three years on probation and a fine of $50,000.
But what does Renzo Gracie, Ralph’s brother, think of the incident?
He shared his thoughts in a recent MMA Hoje podcast episode, saying that Ralph definitely should not have hit Flavio.
But… [translated from Portuguese]:
Ralph shouldn’t have hit Flávio, without a doubt, because he was a member of our tribe.
We were raised at Gracie Barra, we helped create Gracie Barra.But, at the same time, anyone who knows Ralph knows, you can be his best friend, you can be his brother.
If I go soft on him, I take two steps back, because he won’t have a brake, he will fight.
What’s more, according to Renzo, Flavio was playing the role of a victim – and was overplaying the outcome of the fight:
In reality, Flávio was a weakling. A guy who sells confidence, sells Jiu-Jitsu, who represents an ancient art…
Calling the supreme court is a victimism.The truth is, Ralph didn’t pull any of his teeth. He had already lost his teeth when he got involved in a mess.
But the worst of it was the weeping in court, it’s all recorded, it made me want to laugh.
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