A member of the legendary Gracie family, Cesar is in the third generation of jiu jitsu practicing Gracies, earning his black belt under his uncles Robson and Carlos Gracie Jr.
Cesar, like so many Gracies, decided to open his own school in California, and it is in Pleasant Hill were he teaches his own take on old-school, self-defense focused Gracie Jiu Jitsu. Nick and Nate Diaz both came to Cesar to just learn how to defend themselves from bullies when they were in school, and now are some of Cesar's most visible students.
Cesar has had a long standing relationship with Strikeforce. His lone MMA fight was against Ken Shamrock in the main event of the first Strikeforce MMA card. And as a result, many of Cesar's fighters have been funneled to the San Jose-based promotion and have found great success there. Several of Strikeforce's champions call Cesar Gracie Jiu Jitsu home:
Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz, Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez, former Strikeforce Welterweight and Middleweight Champion and current UFC No. 1 Welterweight contender Jake Shields, TUF Season 5 Nate Diaz and UFC fighters Daniel Roberts, Gil Castillo and David Terrell.
