Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA is proud to announce that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend and UFC Hall of Famer Royce Gracie will be coming to Phuket for a one-day seminar on April 18, 2026. Open to all levels, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from the man who introduced BJJ to the world.
The Man Who Changed Martial Arts Forever
There are very few figures in combat sports history who can genuinely claim to have changed everything. Royce Gracie is one of them.
Born into the Gracie family and trained from childhood by his father, jiu-jitsu grandmaster Hélio Gracie, Royce became the chosen representative of the family when the Ultimate Fighting Championship held its first ever tournament in 1993. What happened next rewrote the rulebook on combat sports.
Weighing just 180 pounds and consistently facing opponents who outweighed him significantly, Royce won the very first UFC tournament and in doing so introduced the world to Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. He went on to win three UFC titles and remains the only man in the history of no-holds-barred competition to defeat four opponents in a single night.
He won the UFC 1, UFC 2, and UFC 4 tournaments, submitting ten opponents across those three events, and proved beyond any doubt that technique, leverage, and intelligence could overcome size, strength, and aggression. The sport of MMA has never looked the same since.
For his pioneering role in mixed martial arts, Gracie became the first inductee to the UFC Hall of Fame in 2003. He was later inducted into the Martial Arts History Museum Hall of Fame in 2007, and the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2016. In 2014, Sports Illustrated named him one of the 50 Greatest Athletes in the World.
His influence stretches far beyond trophies and titles. Royce has shared his knowledge with the CIA, FBI, DEA, Secret Service, Army Rangers, Navy SEALs, and law enforcement agencies around the world, and has spent decades travelling the globe passing on the principles his father perfected.
What the Seminar Will Cover
True to the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu philosophy, the seminar will focus on the fundamentals that make BJJ so devastatingly effective: using leverage and technique to control, submit, and neutralise opponents regardless of size or strength.
Participants can expect instruction covering guard retention and sweeps, dominant positional control, submission entries and finishing techniques, and the art of staying composed and technical under pressure. At the heart of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is the principle that a smaller, less powerful person can overcome a larger opponent through superior positioning and timing, and that is exactly the knowledge Royce brings to the mats.
The seminar will close with an informal sit-down on the mats, giving attendees the chance to ask Royce questions directly in a relaxed, personal setting.
Whether you have never tried BJJ before or have years of competition experience, the session is structured to offer genuine value at every level.
Event Details
Royce Gracie BJJ Seminar
April 18, 2026 | Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM, followed by an informal Q&A on the mats
Open to all levels
Price: 1,500 THB
Buy Tickets Here
A Rare Opportunity in Phuket
Seminars of this calibre do not come around often. Royce Gracie is not just a champion, he is the reason millions of people around the world train BJJ today. The chance to learn directly from him, ask questions, and share the mats with one of martial arts’ true pioneers is something that will stay with every attendee long after the session ends.
Spots will be limited. Book online via the link in bio or head to the front office to secure your place.