ATTN: Any Rickson Gracie Representative (possible fraud)

[tetsuo]

Hello,

Recently, a club proposing to study jiu-jitsu and vale tudo opens in
the city of Nantes, in France (Europa).

The main instructor is called Zenon Rocha.

Some of its students claim on french mma forums that he received his black belt from Rickson Gracie.

This stirs some controversy in the little world of french jiu-jitsu, as
nowhere in the Internet it can be found any mention of this fact (and no proofs are given).

Can someone on this forum clear it up, or submit it to knowledgeable pepeole?

Thanks.

Yan Onyme.

[MrJ]

Is this person claiming to be a BJJ black belt himself? Perhaps you could contact him directly to ask where he trained, under which instructors and rank achieved under what association. Anyone can say anything on a discussion board. If you want to contact a Rickson Gracie representative directly, they should be easy to find via Google.

Please read the stickies for MABS - this isn't the way to begin a thread in this forum. There isn't enough information here to call bullshit on someone.

[Sam Browning]

http://rickson.com/association/rep-int.html

http://rickson.com/association/rep-usa.html

He's not an international representative. Or on the American List.

They have some e-mail addresses on this page.
http://rickson.com/contact.htm

[email protected]

But now that I've helped you its time for the obligatory French joke. Why do French women like American service men.

Answer: They like to sleep with a winner who won't call her Fraulien!

[Lysol]

Hello,

Some of its students claim on french mma forums that he received his black belt from Rickson Gracie.

And some Americans claim George Washington invented cocaine (Source: YouTube - George Washington ). As long as he himself isn't making the claims, he's fine. Does this club have a website? Perhaps the site clears up where he got his black belt.

It's pretty common for students to lie about how much of a badass their instructor is (A lot of 3rd place awards mysteriously become winner's medals when their students see them), but that said, it is also the instructor's responsibility to point out claims about him that are false. If someone claims he's a Rickson Gracie blackbelt (assuming he isn't), and he says nothing because it makes him look good, then yeah, it's on him. Are these claims all on a small message board or word of mouth, or are these claims being published in newspapers or some other place where he would have a chance to deny them?

[tetsuo]

@MrJ: Thanks for the insight, I'm going to read these stickies right now.
@Samule Browning: The joke is fun and the better is I didn't know it.
@Lysol: I'll try to contact the guy when he'll come back from Brazil.

Thanks you all for your help.

[Lebell]

Hello,

Recently, a club proposing to study jiu-jitsu and vale tudo opens in
the city of Nantes, in France (Europa).

The main instructor is called Zenon Rocha.

Some of its students claim on french mma forums that he received his black belt from Rickson Gracie.

This stirs some controversy in the little world of french jiu-jitsu, as
nowhere in the Internet it can be found any mention of this fact (and no proofs are given).

Can someone on this forum clear it up, or submit it to knowledgeable pepeole?

Thanks.

Yan Onyme.

This is easy, there's one black belt under rickson in europe, and he lives in holland,oss.
he got promoted yesterday by rickson who is in Holland now.

[TheDingo]

Are we talking about this club in particular:

http://www.noomba-sport.com/combat-libre/1750.html

On this article, Zenon Rocha is only referred to as a teacher.

http://www.nantes.maville.com/actual...-57881045.html


Here's the thread in question that brings up the blackbelt status. My french comprehension is mediocre these days. Perhaps someone with better french can take a read to see what the background comes of this thread to the topic at hand.


http://www.ikusa.fr/modules.php?ModP...66878ad316be58


To the OP, Is this vid of the guy in question?
YouTube - vale tudo zenon

[Lebell]

that board in french mentions him and his claims, they are sceptical.
then this guy comes up and says:LOL there's this dude in Brest who got his belt from Carlson Gracie even when he's dead for 2 years! lolol'

Then the guy from the Brest academy comes on the thread ad starts defending himself.

French version of Bullshido. ;-)


okay here's proof enough:

Nieuws 8 Juli
Harold heeft zijn Zwart Band ontvangen van Rickson Gracie. Bij deze is hij de eerste BlackBelt van Rickson Gracie in Europa.

It says:Harold received his black belt from Rickson Gracie, making him the first black belt under Rickson Gracie in Europe.




source:http://bjjholland.nl/index.php/nieuws

[Lysol]

Okay then: Claims made on a site he has more than likely seen, and almost definately supplied the author with his background. There goes my whole "As long as he didn't say it..." defense. And I really wanted to give him benefit of the doubt too...

[Lebell]

it is without a question FALSE that there is any BB under rickson in europe at this moment, other then mr Harder.

thread ended imo.

[Jayce]

Hello to all of you.
I'm one of Zenon Rocha's students and I'm very surprised to discover what is being said here. Indeed, he is not a Rickson Gracie black belt but a REYSON Gracie black belt. He is also a black belt in luta livre (vale tudo). He never said he was a Rickson Gracie black belt and I think he has been misunderstood because of his brazilian accent when he speaks French. I also understood Rickson when he told me who gave him his black belt, but when I asked him to spell it out, he clearly said R E Y S O N Gracie(who is Red belt 9th degree).A student like me who didn't know at first who Reyson is would easily understand Rickson, but it would be wrong.
I hope everything is clear now. He's a good Mestre and doesn't have to lie to prove anything.
If you want to see our website : ccqb.fr.

[jonathan_sicari]

I don't think I should but...

Forgive my ignorance Jayce, it was my understanding that Vale Tudo does not give ranks (this was one of the proving points in the Ashida Kim investigation that he was a cash for belt scam, he gave some one a Black Belt in Vale Tudo).

[Lebell]

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh...okay...so several students misheared!
ehehe i really hope thats really true, but ive been on here for too long to believe it.
or maybe im too cynical.
;-)

it would be funny if its just an honest mistake.

edit: whoa whoa whoa!
http://www.ccqb.fr/?page_id=450%22

does this guy have a radiant tan or is this photoshopped???
it looks strange...

[Matt Phillips]

edit: whoa whoa whoa!
http://www.ccqb.fr/?page_id=450%22

does this guy have a radiant tan or is this photoshopped???
it looks strange...

Hard to say with the naked eye. I will look into it.

Has this guy posted any certs?

[CoffeeFan]

Well Reyson's website does have a picture of Zenon Rocha, so it very well could just be a misunderstanding.

http://www.pullingerphotography.com/ReysonTour/gallery1.htm