Neiman Gracie

Neiman Gracie Stambowsky was born on December 12, 1988, in Rio de Janeiro. The great-grandson of Carlos Gracie, the nephew of Renzo Gracie and the son of coral belt Márcio Stambowsky, he grew up in jiu-jitsu and developed under Renzo. On the IBJJF circuit he took bronze at the 2013 No-Gi Worlds and silver at the 2015 No-Gi Pans at heavyweight.

From 2013 on he focused his career on MMA. He fought in WSOF and spent most of his run in Bellator, where he fought Rory MacDonald for the welterweight title in 2019 and beat names such as Ed Ruth and Jon Fitch, the latter with a heel hook. He later fought in the PFL. He finished with 13 wins and six losses, nine of the wins by submission.

In 2023 he returned to grappling after a decade away from jiu-jitsu competition. In the ADXC 1 main event in Abu Dhabi he submitted former UFC champion Benson Henderson with an armbar from the back in the fourth round. Before the match he explained to VF Comunica why he had stepped away: “That is the kind of match I like. What made me sad back when I competed in jiu-jitsu were the guys who stalled or wanted to win by two points or an advantage.”

In 2026, at 37, he began wrestling in Real American Freestyle. He lost his debut to Shara Magomedov in Moscow and is scheduled to face Arman Tsarukyan, the No. 1 ranked UFC lightweight, at RAF Abu Dhabi on November 14. He currently teaches in Newport Beach, California.