Grandmaster Carlson Gracie raised by his students at a tournament. Graciemag archives
After more than ten years, finally the late Carlson Gracie (1933–2006) will be allowed to be revered, with an optional “oss” muttered, by the passers-by and alumni in Copacabana. This is because the Secretariat of Conservation of the City Hall of Rio has granted permission for the installation of a statue of the grandmaster.
The sculpture by artist Edgar Duvivier, who produced the statue of Clarice Lispector in neighboring Leme, will sit in Shimon Peres Square in Copacabana, on the corner of Figueiredo de Magalhães and Tonelero streets, near the subway station Siqueira Campos.
The statue of Carlson is set to be built after the last papers are delivered to City Hall, and will be paid for by students and friends of Carlson Gracie, who already have at least one company interested in paying. What would Carlson Gracie say about all this? “You shouldn’t have. But if you ask me whether I could beat Jon Jones today? Well, if he weighed in at 70kg, I’d finish him with a hand tied behind my back!”
