For the first time since last weekends’s IBJJF Worlds No-Gi Championships assault incident between Ralph Gracie and Flavio Almeida went public, Gracie Barra is discussing the injuries sustained by Almeida and the details of the “disgraceful” altercation. In a formal public statement, the organization states it is disturbed by the event, which it describes as an unprovoked attack on Almeida by multiple individuals at once. The team confirms that the altercation was the result of a domestic turf war, a response to Gracie Barra’s intention to continue expanding its number of locations in California which reportedly could have effected Ralph Gracie’s academy reach.
Gracie Barra says that Professor Almeida is experiencing neurological dysfunction from the attack, including memory loss, as well as other injuries.
The letter notably discourages violence and retribution, and includes emphatic language condemning any acts of retaliation by members of its extended gym family.
The complete statement is as follows:
Ralph Gracie’s legal team previously released this statement, which characterized the altercation as “mutual combat.” The combat legend was indefinitely suspended from all IBJJF events yesterday.
More details on this story will be reported as they become available.
