11/11/2024
Part I: An Ad in a Magazine
The story of Warrior Way’s beginning is also the story of how Gracie Jiu Jitsu came to Michigan. During the mid 1990’s (before the UFC), the Gracie family had moved from Brazil and set up their academy in the South Bay area of California. During this time, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was still unheard of in the world of Martial Arts and prize fighting. To help spread the word and prove the effectiveness of BJJ, the Gracies issued a $100,000 challenge to any fighter who could beat a Gracie representative in a “no hold barred” fight (the term Mixed Martial Arts or MMA wasn’t even invented yet). The Gracies placed an advertisement in a popular magazine that issued the challenge for the world to see. In 1994, already a black belt in American Freestyle Karate, Harvy saw the full page ad for the Gracie Challenge and took the magazine to his instructor who at the time dismissed it as “fake” or simply a publicity stunt.
However, still intrigued by what he was hearing about the Gracie family and Brazilian Jiu Jitstu, Harvy convinced his instructor to attend a seminar that was being held in Columbus, Ohio. Together with their wives, the two martial artists made the trip to Ohio to train with legendary Gracie brother, Relson Gracie. The first day of the seminar was four hours long and left Harvy in awe as he quickly realized the value of BJJ in a real fight scenario. Harvy and his instructor immediately made the decision to schedule a private lesson with Relson the next day. Relson started the private lesson by mounting Harvy and instructing him to simply “get out” of the position. Harvy quickly realized that his training in traditional Martial Arts had not prepared him for every aspect of a fight. Then, the two switched positions and Relson instructed Harvy to mount him and try to strike him. Time and time again Relson would effortlessly reverse the position within seconds.
After the private lesson, Relson told the two that if they trained Jiu Jitsu for six months, they’d beat everyone they trained with. Upon returning home, the two men would repeatedly practice the limited moves they learned whenever they could. It wouldn’t be until a year later in 1995 that Harvy would get a chance to take the next step in his journey and transformation as a martial artist…
