Rickson Gracie on hierarchy, legacy (part 1)

Once, Rickson interjected in a discussion about important Gracie family members: "If we're going to talk about importance, we need to talk about Reyson." The fact that his cousin is not nearly as well known as some of the other Gracies, of course, has no effect on Rickson's firm philosophy on hierarchy. He spoke about it in a recent interview. Enjoy the first part of his comments below. 

"When we're born a Gracie, you start to understand your position on the chain, your ability to learn, to seek for, admire the older members, which are relevant to your legacy. And, of course, the name of Reyson, Robson, Carlson, they are always involved in every tale of jiu-jitsu, because... 

"I feel like, for example, Reyson is a guy who I never saw him compete with the gi, I never saw him in a tournament, I never saw him doing any official training or... But I always saw him confronting big bouncers at the night clubs, fighting on the street, fighting on the beach, representing the name, being very courageous and creating situations which, you know, he creates a commotion in the city, because he fights somebody on the beach, Ipanema Beach, with thousands of people watching. So I have a lot of respect for the courage he has, the heart, the techniques, because he is a very sharp warrior. And I have a lot of respect for his persona. 

"Like the same thing of our patriarch right now, Robson Gracie: he's a guy who fought, in his time, MMA, no holds barred; he's always taught jiu-jitsu, he's a great guy in terms of spreading the legacy and the name of jiu-jitsu. And those are important figures for me in terms of, in the chain, you know..."