04/28/2026
Yeap, …. absolute facts 💯
So many red and black belts, red and white belts and some very prolific red belts have been awarded in Jiu Jitsu recently. Congratulations and recognition is warranted for everyone who got promoted.
On July 6, 2017, during a seminar in Las Vegas, Master Rickson Gracie was promoted by his brothers (primarily Rorion Gracie), his peers and his students to 9th degree red belt. He initially refused the promotion. However, he was convinced to put the belt on and eventually accept. He wore the belt for one day, put it away and he went right back to wearing his 8th degree red and black belt, the original belt color designated by his father Helio Gracie for the rank.
Master Rickson still wears his red and black coral belt today. Many people now wear “belts” that signify either equal or higher rank than him. Many of them were white belts or hadn’t even started Jiu Jitsu when Master Rickson was already a high level black belt. But in the eyes of a lay person, the belts are the same.
I will not try to ascribe a motive as to why Master Rickson still wears his red and black belt. That is way beyond me. But from my perspective, refusing the red belt is an OG move. It’s a statement. It’s a statement to standards. It’s a statement to honoring history. It’s a statement to legacy.
I posted something a while back stating that lineage matters now more than ever. I got some pushback saying it doesn’t matter one bit. I disagree. I’m saying legacy still matters and I’m so proud that our lineage traces directly back to a man like Grandmaster Rickson Gracie. Our roots run very deep.
“A tree without roots is just a piece of wood.” - MP White
04/17/2026
04/16/2026