Breathe

Rickson Gracie, member of the most prominent martial arts family, was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he entered his first Jiu Jitsu competition at the age of six. By the age of fifteen he was teaching his family’s martial art. For almost two decades, Gracie reigned as world Jiu Jitsu champion in both the middle heavy weight and open divisions. He retired from fighting with an undefeated record. Since retiring, he has focused on unifying and spreading his family martial art through his Global Jiu Jitsu Federation. Today, he teaches seminars around the world and his students come from all walks of life: men, women, children, senior citizens, law enforcement officers, military personnel, veterans suffering from PTSD, and martial artists of all styles. A film about his life, Dead or Alive, directed by Narcos director José Padilha, is currently in production from Netflix.Peter Maguire is the author of Law and War, Facing Death in Cambodia, and Thai Stick, which he is presently developing into a feature film for Netflix. Maguire has taught the law and theory of war at Columbia University, Bard College, and University of North Carolina at Wilmington. His book Thai Stick was nominated for American Historical Association’s Gerry Bentley Prize for global history and Columbia Journalism School’s J. Anthony Lucas Prize for excellence in nonfiction. A coauthor of the script for the Rickson Gracie film Dead or Alive, Maguire has been Rickson’s student and friend for over 25 years.