Helio Gracie versus Masahiko Kimura
In honor of the late Grandmaster Helio Gracie, "Roots of Fight" recently released a mini documentary about his legendary grappling match against Masahiko Kimura in 1951. For those unfamiliar with Helio Gracie, he was one of the founding fathers of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and respected around the world for his legendary warrior spirit. As for Masahiko Kimura, he is a legendary Japanese judoka, who at the time of his bout with Helio Gracie was considered to be the best in the world. Gracie lost the match in a dominating fashion, but in doing so also cemented his reputation as a true warrior who would not back down to any challenge. Far exceeding most people's expectations, Gracie lasted 13 minutes against the much larger Kimura before being caught in a reverse ude-garami arm lock (know often called The Kimura). Gracie refused to tap, having his arm broken before his brother Carlos threw in the towel and stopped the match. Helio's Grandson, Rener Gracie describes the legendary match by saying, "He knew he was going to lose in front of his whole country, but he still engaged, and that's the definition of a warrior. That's the definition of a fighter. That's the definition of a modern-day samurai." Check out the video below for a full recount and footage of this classic match.
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