Rener Gracie was born into the family that founded Brazilian
jiu-jitsu and the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). His
jiu-jitsu journey began before he took his first steps, and he
earned his black belt at nineteen. In 2009, with the help of his
brother, Ryron Gracie, he broke the mold of traditional martial
arts instruction by creating the first interactive online learning
center for Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which today boasts over 350,000
students in 196 countries. Headquartered in southern California,
Gracie University has over 200 certified training centers
worldwide. Rener is also founder and CEO of several
multimillion-dollar companies; has invented several products
including Quikflip Apparel, the sweatshirt that converts into a
backpack, and the Sleeper Hold, the world’s best travel pillow; and
has appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank.
Paul Volponi is the award-winning author of 20 books
including Phyllis George: Shattering the Ceiling (a nonfiction
biography), and the novels The Final Four (on the NYC Chancellor’s
reading list NYC Reads 365), Top Prospect (part of Scholastic’s
nationwide book club), and Black and White (winner of the
international Reading Association’s Children’s Book Award). Paul is
the recipient of a dozen American Library Association honors.
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