Yesterday, the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu community was buzzing with news that the legend, Rickson Gracie was promoted to red belt. Rickson was giving a seminar in Las Vegas where the surprise promotion took place.
Rickson’s older brother Rorion (who put this all together) and younger brother Royler as well as notable names such as Jean Jacques Machado, Pedro Sauer, Fabio Santos, and 9th degree red belt Alvaro Barreto were there … even Former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum attended the ceremony.
See the full video of Rickson Gracie receiving his red belt below.
“I’ve been putting my life and soul into this, we are here for jiu-jitsu. I’m very thankful for this. But, I feel like this is something which will be a great facilitator for me, for the legacy of jiu-jitsu and what we bring for the future.”
Andy Gonzalez is a coach at Aces Jiu Jitsu Club. He has earned his BJJ Brown Belt under 2nd Degree Black Belt, Professor Mikal Abdullah. Follow Andy on Twitter at @GoGoGonzilla
Andy lives in Austin, Texas with his wife Amanda and their 3 beautiful children. Andy is also the father of a Marine who is honorably serving in the United States Marine Corps.