Did Renzo Gracie Live Tweet Assaulting Some Random Guys in New York City?

Last night, jiu-jitsu legend Renzo Gracie was apparently stopped by two men in New York City, and if he didn't react first, he would have been mugged. That's the story we're being told by the man himself, who decided to live tweet the entire ordeal.

The events of the evening started around 3:11 a.m., when Gracie noticed that two men were following him. The story goes that when the two would-be assailants approached Gracie for a cigarette, he opted to react first and beat the tar out of one while the other took off running.  

Gracie then tracked down the second man and "raccooned" him. Gracie explains what it is, but essentially it is punching someone in the eyeballs so they look like a raccoon with their bruises. 

People have been praising Gracie for taking the initiative and handling business before he could be made a victim of a mugging. I don't see it that way. Based on his tweets, it sounds more like Renzo beat the hell out of two guys before any crime was actually committed.

Below is the entire timeline from last night on Renzo Gracie's Twitter account (@RenzoGracieBJJ) compiled nicely by the folks at Cage Potato.

3:11 a.m.: 22nd street and 10th ave right now two guys following me, can’t help but have a big smile upon my face Im talking about a happy one  )))

3:12 a.m.: Waiting for them… Are they really thinking I’m drunk??? They have to be kidding. Hahahaha

3:13 a.m.: 25th and 10ave  they are getting closer lol 

3:16 a.m.: I just stop to take a pic, they pretend they are looking at the window, can’t lie… My blood runs in a different speed, man I miss Brazil

3:17 a.m.: JiuJitsu  )) never leave home without it 

3:18 a.m.: Please hold there for just a couple minutes  be right back

3:23 a.m.: They are coming closer, asking for a cigaret  lol can’t help but have a smile in my face. I don’t smoke. Pretend to wobble. They smile

3:47 a.m.: My hands hurt… Can’t help but look at him the other one took off running, not much of a friend. Chicken :-/ I can still see him, he looks

3:49 a.m.: Back as he runs, no chance to catch him… Even though I began to try to run after him, I realize How slow I was. F*** it :-///

3:53 a.m.: This one asks me why did I do that, pretending to be stupid, one little kick to the ribs makes him whine and apologize, as I’m writing this.

3:55 a.m.: I ask him if he was planing to rob me, he says no. All he wanted was a cigarette, lol I can’t help but have a big smile upon my face, and ..

3:57 a.m.: The certainty that if it was an ordinary man he would be sad about his stolen goods. F****** c*** cries like a bitch when the tide turns…

3:58 a.m.: I can’t help but take a pic as his nose bleeds and he wines and asks why did I do that… Like he doesn’t know the reason…

3:59 a.m.: My f****** hands hurt, hurt like hell…

4:06 a.m.: Drove around two blocks… The other fellow disappear, I’m heading home… Angry for not finding the second one. Guess no sleeping tonight

4:26 a.m.: I knew it  yessss

4:59 a.m.: There is basic things like you don’t come back to where the problem was.. You just don’t, I knew he would, just going around the block would

5:01 a.m.: Be enough… Dumb f%#^ I just gave him the old style Raccoon, it has been a while since the last time I did.. Choke him out 3 times…

5:03 a.m.: And before he woke up I did hit each eye socket at least twice, tomorrow he will wake up like a raccoon, and every time he woke up I was…

5:06 a.m.: Whispering at his ears.. That’s what death feels like it.. Don’t do that again. My f****** hand hurts, :-/ a lot

5:08 a.m.: Next time I will use only the elbows, damn I miss that feeling, sometimes I wonder if the easy life has been making me

5:09 a.m.: Soft.. All those years in Brazil, without knowing if I would make it home had to count for something, I can’t lie I could have jump in a cab

5:11 a.m.: But I could not help, I could spot them from a mile away, walking was my option, thank you mayor Giuliani, nobody carries a gun in our…

5:14 a.m.: Beautiful state, my lucky day, their bad day… My hand hurts and @FrankieEdgar is here at 9:30am for some training, shoot damn little guy

5:16 a.m.: Could not take a second pic guys sorry, believe I try, as I reach for my iPhone he almost took off :-/ fast mofo

I'll assume if you've made it to this point that you've read through the entire timeline of events. 

Reading through that again, I really can't understand why people are praising Gracie for what reads like a pretty clear case of aggravated assault. What's that, you ask? Aggravated assault is the crime of physically attacking another person and causing serious bodily harm. Which is what he did...twice.

That's not something to celebrate.

Renzo acted like the crazy person in this entire ordeal. He was not mugged. According to his live tweeting account, all the men did was ask for a cigarette. I used to go to Manhattan all the time when I lived on the East Coast and would get asked for a cigarette literally all the time outside of music venues. Literally, all the time. And those people just wanted a cigarette. 

I guess the one lesson we all can learn here is don't ask Renzo Gracie for a cigarette ever. He'll think you are a mugger and beat the hell out of you for it.