BJJ Blue Belt of 12 Years Promoted To Black Belt
In Brazil, a blue belt of 12 years and MMA fighter was promoted to black belt by his longtime friend and coach. The video captured the emotional message that the coach gave to his student.
“Not just because of your loyalty, man, but because of the 12 years you’ve already got in blue, you know? Because of your black belt vision, your black belt mindset, okay? I love you. And from today on, you begin to become a black belt. Not just because of your loyalty.”- black belt instructor.
It was an emotional video, and many were moved by seeing the promotion take place. However, the video did stir controversy for the fact that the instructor gave his blue belt student a black belt and passed over purple belt and brown belt.
Detractors felt that jumping a promotion like this goes against the rules of promoting students. This includes the affiliation that the gym allegedly claims.
Pitbull Jiu-Jitsu Club, the alleged affiliation of the gym, was not pleased with this promotion. The affiliation released a strongly worded statement denouncing that the gym was affiliated with them and did not recognize the promotion.
“Pitbull Jiu-Jitsu Club informs that it does not recognize said gym as an official affiliate, nor validate the mentioned graduation as part of our system.
We reiterate our commitment to ethics, transparency, and respect for Jiu-Jitsu traditions, strictly following graduation criteria and minimum deadlines established by IBJJF.”-Pitbull Jiu-Jitsu Club HQ.
The Mat Don’t Lie
While for some, this promotion may go against the standardization set by most affiliations and the IBJJF, the blue belt MMA fighter may very well have the skill of a black belt.
As the old saying goes, the mat don’t lie. If he isn’t a black belt-level Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, he will be exposed on the mat.
Bobby is martial artist for almost 20 years with a BJJ black belt under Professor Sergio Miranda. He is also a karate black and former combat sports athlete, who loves all things grappling.