08/27/2026
We have two new blue belts tonight.
Nick Debrey Nick Debrey and Darrell Peterson.
Two hours. Every technique they are required to know, a tonne of
drilling with each other, and sparring with three black belts,
including me, and a fourth degree brown belt. They got pushed hard,
physically and mentally, the way we always do it.
Both of them showed excellent technique, nice and clean, even when they
were exhausted and under a tonne of pressure. There were times they had
a really hard time. They kept trying and they never quit.
Nick is 54 and started with us in 2020. He has done multiple seasons of
Champion’s Rise and fought twice. He comes out on our intro days to
tell new people his story and help promote the program. He has
announced our Rise fight cards, interviewed a bunch of the fighters,
and done the same over at Absolute MMA.
Darrell is 63 and started in 2021. He has done multiple seasons of Rise
and had an MMA fight. He volunteers on intro days to answer questions
for new people, and he hosts the after party at his house after every
Rise so everybody can get together and watch the fights again.
They say fewer than 20 percent of people who start jiu jitsu ever make
it to blue belt. In my opinion, for people who start later in life, it
is 1 or 2 percent.
A 54 year old and a 63 year old just did it in the same room, on the
same night.
They never accepted that they were too old for this. They are on the
mats with all the younger guys, still growing, still learning, still
getting better and stronger. That is super impressive to me and very
inspiring.
These two are excellent members of our gym and really powerful
supporters of everything we do. Warriors on the mat, and two of the
guys holding this tribe up.
Congratulations, Nick and Darrell.
- Brian Bird
