Hélio Gracie, who has died aged 95, was the founder, with his brother Carlos, of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a mixed martial art form of the traditional Japanese combat sport, that emphasises grappling rather than strikes. Gracie was the only living 10th degree red belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
In 1915 Mitsuyo Maeda, one of the great judo practitioners, came to Brazil and established a martial arts academy with a businessman, Gastão Gracie, the grandson of a Scottish immigrant. Using Maeda's teachings, Gracie's sons would create Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The sport focuses on grappling, with victory coming by controlling an opponent and subduing them. Since it is easier to control a grounded opponent than a standing one, Brazilian jiu-jitsu focuses on taking an attacker to the ground and rendering them harmless with a variety of submission holds. This differentiates it from many martial arts which primarily rely on strikes such as punches and kicks.
Hélio, who was younger and frailer than his brothers, refined the techniques of jiu-jitsu so that he would not be at a disadvantage when competing with his siblings: "I could not manage to do what my brother [Carlos] did, because his jiu-jitsu depended on strength and ability. I had neither of those. I [used] the principles of physics, like force and leverage."
He opened up his own academy in Rio de Janeiro in 1940 and began teaching as well as competing against boxers, wrestlers and judoka to prove the effectiveness of his fighting style. Hélio, who weighed less than 140lb, was often victorious against much stronger opponents. His best-known fight was against the Japanese judoka Masahiko Kimura, which took place in 1951. Hélio was thrown many times and locked in several agonising holds, even being choked unconscious at one point, but never gave up. It was only when the sound of Hélio's arm breaking echoed around the Maracanã stadium that Carlos threw in the towel to preserve his brother's health.
The legacy of Hélio Gracie's "anything goes" matches continues in the modern sport of mixed martial arts, in which Brazilian jiu-jitsu has become a key technique. This is due in large part to Hélio's son Royce using his father's art to win the first US-based Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments in the mid-1990s. These early tournaments showed the effectiveness of the Gracie fighting system. It is now one of the most popular martial arts in the world.
Hélio Gracie continued to teach and practise his art into old age. He is survived by his wife Vera, his sons Rorion, Relson, Rickson, Robin, Rolker, Royler, Royce and his daughters Rherica and Ricci.