History: It was an honor to go to the legendary Gracie jiu jitsu head quarters in Torrance for Gordon Ryan's match with Ralek Gracie. Inside the dojo was a beautiful mini museum of Helio's side of the family – a side I am not very familiar with as I trained exclusively under renzo gracie and the Gracie Barra lineage. It was a wonderful experience to be a small part of the match and then walk around and observe the famous dojo with its memorabilia and images from the past, all the way back to Helio through the early days of MMA/UFC in the United States. There were so many iconic images from the beginning of the UFC, events that I had long forgotten but which were important in my early development and inspiration. Our sport changes and adapts so quickly that it is very easy to lose historical perspective and get entirely wrapped up in current developments and emerging trends. In truth however, whatever achievements we make today are only possible because of the work and achievements of our forebears in the art. In addition, these earlier authorities often came at problems we still deal with today from a very different perspective, which can often provide insight to a thoughtful person today. Sometimes an old idea, combined with contemporary context, can be a path to something new.
