History of Gracie Ohio

GracieOhio has a unique place in the history of jiu-jitsu in America. Dr. Jeffrey Hudson and some students at a local Tai Kwon Do school started training with the Gracie family in 1990. Founded officially as a training association to the Gracie Academy in 1992. Dr. Hudson quickly immersed himself in the art and studied under many of the Gracie at the Gracie Academy in Torrance California. He was there at the birth of the Ultimate Fighting Challenge and was an original investor in the new sport. Very early on Relson Gracie became Jeff’s main instructor and came to Columbus a lot in the early years. According to Relson, Jeff  logged more private lessons with him than any other student. In between Jeff made frequent visits to the main academy as part of the Gracie Academy Instructor’s Program. 

Over 30 years in continuous operation we are very proud of our lineage and dedication to Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Our mission is to bring the world’s best self defense system to students of all ages. 

Here is a video featuring Relson Gracie talking about the history of our academy and connection with the Gracie Family.