The Gracie challenge was an open invitation issued by some members of the Brazilian Gracie family, known for their Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ) mastery, to martial artists of other styles to fight them in a Vale tudo match. A precursor to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the purpose of these challenges was to prove the effectiveness of the Gracie style of BJJ. Challenges have been issued since Carlos Gracie first made one in the 1920s with some becoming public events while others have remained private. Bets on challenges have reached $100,000 to the winner of the match.

The Gracie challenge was first issued by Carlos Gracie in the 1920s to promote and develop the Gracie's style of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and as an attempt to show that it was superior to other styles of martial arts. The matches typically featured a smaller Gracie versus a larger and/or more athletic looking opponent, and became increasingly popular. Carlos and later his brother Hélio Gracie and both of these men's sons defeated martial artists of many different styles such as boxing, judo, karate, and wrestling, while experiencing few losses.

Ryron Gracie (born December 1, 1981) is a Brazilian American jiu-jitsu fighter and teacher specializing in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. He is the eldest son of Rorion Gracie and lives and teaches at the Gracie Academy in Torrance, California. He is a member of the legendary Gracie family. He is the brother-in-law of UFC fighter Javier Vazquez.

Ryron received his black belt from the hands of his grandfather, Grand Master Helio Gracie after winning the first Annual International Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Federation Open Championship in 2003. Later that year, he competed in the Southern California Pro-Am Invitational super-fight against Todd Margolis and submitted him with an arm-bar from the back. Ryron then competed in the 2005 Pan American Submission Grappling Tournament and submitted all his opponents earning him the Gold. He holds a Professor Certificate, an honor only given by the Grand Master himself, for jiu-jitsu teaching. He travels worldwide to teach seminars to Gracie Jiu-Jitsu practitioners.

He is currently a 5th degree black belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu under his father. Along with his brothers, he recently started an interactive website called "Gracie University" where members can learn Gracie Jiu-Jitsu online and earn rank from the brothers.

Royler Gracie (born December 6, 1965) is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist and Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner. He ran the Gracie Humaitá jiu-jitsu school in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for many years under his father Helio's direction, but currently resides in San Diego, US.
Royler travels around the world teaching seminars, but still finds time to coach some of his jiu-jitsu protégé such as Fabricio Camoes, who trains and teaches out of the "Victory MMA" gym in San Diego, California.

As son to the late Grandmaster Helio Gracie, Royler is a member of the renowned Gracie family, and thus related to number of other prominent Gracies, such as his brothers Rickson, Royce, Rorion, Relson, Robin and Rolker. He holds a 7th degree red/black belt in the style pioneered by his family, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Prior to his retirement, Royler competed in the black-belt ranks for 20+ years. He and Marcelo Garcia are the only individuals to have won the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship (ADCC) for three consecutive years. Royler is also a four-time World Jiu-Jitsu Champion in the Pena/Featherweight Black Belt Category and has placed in the Absolute Division.

Pedro Sauer is an 8th-degree Gracie Jiu Jitsu red and black belt under Rickson Gracie and Helio Gracie. On May 17, 2005, he was named "Best of the Best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Instructor" in a worldwide poll conducted by the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC).

Pedro Sauer was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where from an early age, he began training in the martial arts. At age five, he began boxing and later took up judo and taekwondo. At age fifteen, however, his friend, Rickson Gracie, invited him to practice jiu-jitsu with his younger brother, Royler, who at the time was only nine years old. The outcome of this experience convinced him that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was the most effective of all the martial arts, and he began offcial training the next day.

Pedro worked towards a double major (Economics and Business Administration) in college, and took post graduation course at Fundacao Getulio Vargas. He worked in Brazil as a stockbroker for eleven years^{[citation needed]} before deciding to move to the United States and pursue a career teaching Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In 1990, he moved to California with the original wave of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructors. He lived in California with Rickson Gracie and trained daily with the Gracie brothers (Rickson, Rorion, Relson, and Royce), their father, Helio Gracie, their cousin, Renzo Gracie, and the Machado Brothers, as well as many others. In December of that same year, he moved to Utah where he lived for sixteen years, pioneering Brazilian jiu-jitsu in the Southwestern United States.

Rickson Gracie (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈʁiksõ ˈɡɾejsi]; born November 20, 1958) is a Brazilian 8th degree black and red belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a retired mixed martial artist. He is a member of the Gracie family: the son of Hélio Gracie, brother to Rorion and Relson Gracie, and half-brother to Rolker, Royce, Robin and Royler Gracie.

Rickson Gracie, son of Helio Gracie, was born into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. At six years old he began competing; at 15 he started to teach it; and at 18 he received his black belt. At 20 Rickson won his first victory against the famous 230-pound Brazilian brawler Rei Zulu. With this victory, Rickson gained immediate national acclaim as the top freestyle fighter, leaving his mark on the history of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and the Gracie challenge. Five years later Zulu requested a rematch and lost to Rickson again, in Maracanazinho before an audience of 20,000 spectators.

In the 1997 Pride 1 Vale Tudo match in Japan's Tokyo Dome (before 47,860 spectators), Gracie defeated Japanese professional wrestler, Nobuhiko Takada, in 4:47 of the first round. A year later, to the day, at Pride 4, Rickson defeated Takada once again. At Colosseum 2000, held at the Tokyo Dome, broadcast to 30 million TV Tokyo viewers, Rickson fought Masakatsu Funaki. He defeated his opponent with a rear naked choke in 11:46 of the first round.