Rickson Gracie promoted to Red Belt
- Thread starter Charlemagne
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Charlemagne
Black Belt
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Charlemagne
Black Belt
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Rorion's video of the event. Rickson tried to delay the wearing of the belt until the correct amount of time between his 8th and 9th Degree had passed, but Rorion and Royler intervened. In an age where there are Grandmasters crawling out of the freaking woodwork, someone who thinks that, after 40 years of being a Black Belt, and with his achievements, that they don't deserve this promotion is amazing. I do understand his concerns though. He is afraid that the rules being broken for him will give license to others to do the same, and he is worried about continued dilution of the art.
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Charlemagne
Black Belt
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Yeah, I can see that. I had always been under the impression that he and Rorion did not get along, but they were certainly very affectionate with each other last night. I totally get Rickson's desire to follow the normal timeline of progression for belts. However, I can also simply see that if Rickson doesn't deserve it, then probably no one does.
I never met Rorian, hence have no first hand feeling for how he and Rickson got along, but, yeah, those that know them both have told me about issues back in the day. (Mostly concerning when Rickson first came to the states.) But they're older now, both their lives have changed, their careers are well established, it's good to see.
I understand Rickson's concerns about the time line, but I don't care. I'm just happy for him. I'll tell you what, though, there are a lot of guys who've trained the Arts for - let's pick a number, say ten years - who train a dedicated three or four times a week. Never miss, work hard, train hard, fight hard. Then you have the others, like Rickson and some of his family members, who work harder, longer and more in depth, every single day, all day. Day after day, month after month, year after year. It's kind of nuts, but hey, I salute it.
I've watched Rickson roll with a dozen guys too many times to remember, watched him roll with fifty guys, eighty guys, over a hundred guys - all after a two hour classes or seminars. (there is not one shred of exaggeration in that sentence, honest) And not just hacks like me, serious rollers, rollers of all ilk. He does it like he's watching TV and eating ice cream. And he never hurts anyone, doesn't even seem to move quickly. It's honestly a thing of incredible beauty. (And it's just fricken' nuts)
And he was always the mellowest and kindest of men, and a whole lot of fun.
This is my friend Willie. He's trained the Arts his whole life, since he was a little kid, wrestler, boxer, stick man, knife, some Karate, some other stuff. Grew up and lived in the most dangerous part of the city. Cop, too. But Willie is strong. Freakishly so. We used to call him QT, for quarter ton, because he benches 500 pounds like it's a sack of chickens. Functional strength, too, he was a nightmare to train with, especially with his training experience. One day, before our shift, I was messing with Willie. He grabbed my gunbelt with his hands and did a curl, lifting me like I was a loaf of bread and said, "You have a stain on your shirt, chump." I only weigh one fifty, but he didn't even strain, not even a little. Then he put me down, gently.
Anyway, Rickson came down the school one weekend and was rolling with everyone. Willie was there. I said to Rickson before we started, "The guy in blue is really, really strong, scary strong, wrestler, too." I wasn't worried about Willie taking advantage of Rickson's niceness, Willie is a true gentleman, I just didn't want Rickson to get sandbagged or surprised.
I'll never forget what he said as he patted me on the back, "Do not worry, my friend, I will not hurt him."
That day, Rickson was telling us what he would submit us with, and we were to defend against that particular submission. He told Willie, "Right arm armbar." That's all Willie had to defend against. They rolled five times in a row. You can figure how that went. This was just before the fifth roll. I forget exactly what Willie said, something about cutting off his right arm and burying it first. Rickson replied something about, "Do not worry, I will find it."
It was just so much fun training with him, especially in a relaxed setting, we laughed all day. And would scratch our heads all night, thinking, "wtf?"
I understand Rickson's concerns about the time line, but I don't care. I'm just happy for him. I'll tell you what, though, there are a lot of guys who've trained the Arts for - let's pick a number, say ten years - who train a dedicated three or four times a week. Never miss, work hard, train hard, fight hard. Then you have the others, like Rickson and some of his family members, who work harder, longer and more in depth, every single day, all day. Day after day, month after month, year after year. It's kind of nuts, but hey, I salute it.
I've watched Rickson roll with a dozen guys too many times to remember, watched him roll with fifty guys, eighty guys, over a hundred guys - all after a two hour classes or seminars. (there is not one shred of exaggeration in that sentence, honest) And not just hacks like me, serious rollers, rollers of all ilk. He does it like he's watching TV and eating ice cream. And he never hurts anyone, doesn't even seem to move quickly. It's honestly a thing of incredible beauty. (And it's just fricken' nuts)
And he was always the mellowest and kindest of men, and a whole lot of fun.
This is my friend Willie. He's trained the Arts his whole life, since he was a little kid, wrestler, boxer, stick man, knife, some Karate, some other stuff. Grew up and lived in the most dangerous part of the city. Cop, too. But Willie is strong. Freakishly so. We used to call him QT, for quarter ton, because he benches 500 pounds like it's a sack of chickens. Functional strength, too, he was a nightmare to train with, especially with his training experience. One day, before our shift, I was messing with Willie. He grabbed my gunbelt with his hands and did a curl, lifting me like I was a loaf of bread and said, "You have a stain on your shirt, chump." I only weigh one fifty, but he didn't even strain, not even a little. Then he put me down, gently.
Anyway, Rickson came down the school one weekend and was rolling with everyone. Willie was there. I said to Rickson before we started, "The guy in blue is really, really strong, scary strong, wrestler, too." I wasn't worried about Willie taking advantage of Rickson's niceness, Willie is a true gentleman, I just didn't want Rickson to get sandbagged or surprised.
I'll never forget what he said as he patted me on the back, "Do not worry, my friend, I will not hurt him."
That day, Rickson was telling us what he would submit us with, and we were to defend against that particular submission. He told Willie, "Right arm armbar." That's all Willie had to defend against. They rolled five times in a row. You can figure how that went. This was just before the fifth roll. I forget exactly what Willie said, something about cutting off his right arm and burying it first. Rickson replied something about, "Do not worry, I will find it."
It was just so much fun training with him, especially in a relaxed setting, we laughed all day. And would scratch our heads all night, thinking, "wtf?"
Very cool video to see and nice to see some friends that were in it! 
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Charlemagne
Black Belt
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- #8
Awesome stories. Thanks for sharing them.
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Charlemagne
Black Belt
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- #10
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Charlemagne
Black Belt
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Rickson has not been wearing his Red Belt, and in this video he explains why.
In my view, if anyone alive is deserving of the Red Belt, it is him. However, I agree with his decision. He wants the rules to be clear, and does not want to be the one to buck them or get special treatment.
Rickson Gracie Reveals Why He Hasn't Been Wearing His Red Belt
In my view, if anyone alive is deserving of the Red Belt, it is him. However, I agree with his decision. He wants the rules to be clear, and does not want to be the one to buck them or get special treatment.
Rickson Gracie Reveals Why He Hasn't Been Wearing His Red Belt
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