How is Bellator welterweight Neiman Gracie related to Royce and Renzo Gracie?
Neiman Gracie is part of the illustrious Gracie family, known for its Brazilian jiu-jitsu. UFC Hall-of-Famer Royce Gracie and his cousin Renzo Gracie are the uncles of Neiman.
The 32-year-old welterweight defeated Mark Lemminger via TKO at the 1:27 mark in the first round during Bellator 266 in California on Saturday. This was the first knockout victory of his 13-fight MMA career. He now holds an overall record of 11-2.
Neiman's great grandfather Carlos and his brother Helio founded Brazilian jiu-jitsu. His great-uncle, Rorion Gracie, co-founded the UFC in 1993.
Neiman Gracie has trained at the Renzo Gracie jiu-jitsu Academy in Midtown Manhattan for most of his life. He has been with Kings MMA in Huntington Beach since 2020.
🔥 @NeimanGracie scores his first career win via TKO!
Tune in to #Bellator266 LIVE on @SHOsports https://t.co/qOgKW9gw8x
Meanwhile, Royce Gracie is one of the most prominent personalities in the history of MMA. He won tournaments held during UFC 1, UFC 2 and UFC 4. He was also instrumental in spreading the grappling-heavy Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Renzo Gracie has also fought in the UFC. He has trained the likes of Georges St-Pierre, Frankie Edgar, Chris Weidman and Matt Serra.
Neiman Gracie shocks the MMA world with a knockout
Neiman Gracie's performance against Mark Lemminger in the co-main event of Bellator 266 earned him several fans in the MMA world.
Neiman applied pressure on his opponent right from the word go. The Brazilian mixed martial artist pushed Lemminger towards the fence and then connected with a neat uppercut. He continued throwing punches and forced the referee to stop the bout.
The No.4-ranked Bellator welterweight contender was lauded by the likes of Ariel Helwani and Aaron Bronsteter on social media.
Here are some of the best Twitter reactions following Neiman Gracie's win over Mark Lemminger:
Neiman Gracie, the BJJ wiz, just scored his first finish via strikes. And it was super quick, too.
Neiman Gracie by KO was +1000. What a performance!
NEIMAN GRACIE WITH THE RAPID FIRE
A+ night for Neiman Gracie. Seeing him celebrate like a Thai fighter after first KO of his career was great. Renzo hugging Master Cordeiro. The whole thing was awesome. Neiman is the most skilled Gracie we've seen and he's driven to improve. Hospital or cemetery?
And, at this exact moment, @NeimanGracie was most likely screaming "PORRA!!!" @BellatorMMA @kings_mma @MMAjunkie #Bellator266 #Porra! https://t.co/QFPhsJfwyV
Neiman Gracie with the “if you keep the fight standing it’s hospital, if you go to the ground it’s cemetery.” Love it 👏🏼