It appears that UFC legend Royce Gracie has converted to Islam. Gracie had a meeting with Eddie Redzovic (bjj black belt founder of Team Redzovic in Chicago) and Islamic leader Shaykh Uthman Ibn Farooq, and during this meeting, accepted Islam as his religion.
Royce Gracie, BJJ legend and first Champion in UFC history, converted to Islam..#jiujitsu #bjj #grappling #martialarts
رويس جرايسي، أسطورة الجيوجيتسو البرازيلي BJJ وأول بطل في تاريخ UFC، اعتنق الإسلام pic.twitter.com/cZkNsZycRX
— mmamag.ma (@jamalsoussi10) March 1, 2024
#MMA legend and first #UFC Champion, @realroyce Royce Gracie accepts #Islam with Shaykh Uthman ibn Farooq and Eddie @thedeenshowtv ‼️ الحمد لله video of the Shahadah coming soon 👉
This was quite a surprise, as 10 days prior, Royce Gracie had posted support for Israel in their conflict with Palestine, which gathered much backlash in the Muslim community. BJJ black belt Idriz Redzovic, cousin of Eddie Redzovic, set up the meeting with the Imam.
Jiu-Jitsu Legend and MMA pioneer Royce Gracie has embraced Islam Subhana'Allah.
May Allah keep him steadfast and firm upon the deen. pic.twitter.com/j41G0xKhST
— 𝕽𝖆𝖎𝖓𝖒𝖆𝖐𝖊𝖗❂ (@Sa_Gwang) February 29, 2024
Royce Gracie is the one who popularized BJJ in MMA. He is also the first superstar in the UFC and won three UFC tournaments back when the promotion had a tournament structure. Moreover, all of his victories were against significantly larger opponents.
Idriz Redzovic stated:
Before all the people come on here and start hating about Royce Gracie IG post on Isreal stance last week, he went on show to hear the other side of the story, the Palestinian side. He ended up taking his shahada. Allah is the best of all gliders. Be patient and wait to see the show that airs soon on the show before you say something wrong. We are Muslim and should not act like others that are not.
We have yet to hear an official statement from Royce Gracie, but in a few hours there will be a video from Redzovic which will explain how this happened.
A person becomes a Muslim by declaring their faith in the oneness of God (Allah) and the prophethood of Muhammad. This declaration is known as the Shahada, a statement which translates to “I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.” This declaration is made sincerely, with a firm belief and understanding of its meaning. Additionally, new Muslims often learn the basics of Islamic beliefs, practices, and ethics as part of their conversion process.
