Gracie Jiu-jitsu is known world wide as one of the most effective forms of hand-to-hand combat. The Gracie family took the teachings of a Japanese man and adapted them to make them more effective, especially when dealing with a fight on the ground. Helio Gracie was probably the most instrumental in making this form of jiu jitsu into something unique. Helio’s main contribution was to adapt the martial art techniques so that they would be effective in defeating bigger and stronger opponents.

As he grew more adept, Helio launched the beginnings of Gracie Jiu-jitsu in a series of high profile matches. Despite not always being triumphant in these events, Helio won acclamation for lasting far longer than anyone thought he would be able to against more powerful and more practiced foes. In 1951 he took on Masahiko Kimura, then considered to be the greatest jiu jitsu fighter in the world. Kimura claimed that if the competition continued more than three minutes, then Helio would be proclaimed the champ; Helio lasted for thirteen. In 1955, the longest match in the world occurred when Helio held off a combatant twenty years younger than him and forty pounds heavier for three hours and forty minutes.