Credit to Chuck Norris for recognizing a deficiency in America's top karate experts, including his black belts under the United Fighting Arts Federation (UFAF), who could kick you into next week, but were practically helpless on the ground.
That all changed when Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) showcased Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the early nineties, but prior to that, Master Danny Lane (via The Underground) and the rest of Chuck's brood already had a head start on ground warfare.
From his YouTube page:
Do you know the story of how the Gracies came to the USA and the whole UFC, MMA and Gracie Ju-jitsu got rolling here. Chuck and Bob Wall visited the Gracie family and family in Rio, Brazil and experienced the training first hand and were impressed so much that Chuck wanted his Black Belts in the UFAF to learn the system. In 1988 they flew to Las Vegas and taught us for the first time. That was the beginning. Hope you enjoy this historic video clip I took of the intro and some of the training.
Rickson, Royce and Renzo, among others, are just one of the many Gracies featured here. Hard not to consider this video a compelling piece of history, or at least a glimpse into the future.
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