Cesar Gracie, born in 1966, is related to Carlos Gracie Senior (the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu founder) by way of his mother, Sonja Gracie-Gronning. His parents separated when Cesar was still a toddler and Cesar was raised solely by the Gracie side of the family with grappling being a natural part of his upbringing.

In the 1970s Cesar Gracie moved to the United States with his mother and joined the US Marines, returning to Brazil after finishing his training, only to return to the United States in 1990. When Cesar returned to America he took time to train at the Gracie Academy in California, founded by Rorion Gracie during the 1980s. He would later receive his black belt by the hands of his uncle, Robson Gracie (1992).

Cesar was also the main catalyst for the Machado brothers’ move to the Northern Hemisphere in 1988. After earning his black belt Cesar moved to Northern side of California where he established an academy, bringing another cousin (Ralph Gracie) to work with him. Living in close proximity with the Gracie Family, closed-door No Holds Barred events were a regular occurrence, and Cesar Gracie did participate in a few of these events.

It is often mentioned that his record was 14-0 before making his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) debut at age 40. This happened in March 2006 against MMA veteran Frank Shamrock. A fight he lost by first-round KO.