Vin Diesel, actor famous for the Fast & Furious movie franchise, has been training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu on and off for the past 20 years. He is currently a blue belt.
One of his best friends is a certain Valentino Morales, a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Alberto Crane – after training for 20 years. He started around the same time as Vin Diesel did.

In a recent episode of the JAXXON Podcast, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu veteran Fabiano Iha shared his experience training Hollywood star Vin Diesel. The conversation revealed intriguing details about Diesel’s dedication to martial arts and Iha’s reflections on various personalities in the fighting world.

Training Vin Diesel

Fabiano Iha, known for his influence in the MMA and BJJ communities, discussed his time training Vin Diesel. According to Iha, Diesel is a “decent purple belt in BJJ,” demonstrating significant dedication and skill in the discipline. Iha trained Diesel for over a year, particularly around the time of “Fast and Furious 5”. However, Diesel’s demanding schedule eventually led to a halt in their regular training sessions.

“I trained Vin for a long time… he’s a good, like a I say, decent purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu.” – Fabiano Iha

Challenges with Movie Commitments

Despite Diesel’s passion for BJJ, his commitments to the film industry posed challenges. Iha mentioned how Diesel’s busy schedule and his complex relationships within the industry affected their training continuity.

“He got really busy… we see each other here and there, but no, I don’t train him anymore.” – Fabiano Iha

Interestingly, Diesel had promised Iha multiple times to feature him in one of the “Fast and Furious” movies. Unfortunately, these promises never materialized due to various behind-the-scenes complexities.

“He promised me several times… but he was saying to me like he always have problems with the directors and producers.” – Fabiano Iha

Vin Diesel’s Reputation

The podcast also touched on Vin Diesel’s reputation in the film industry. Iha revealed that Diesel is known to be a difficult person to work with, which has led to conflicts with other big stars like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

“He’s not a very easy guy to deal with… that’s why he had problem with The Rock. They almost got into a fight because of that.” – Fabiano Iha

Iha explained that Diesel’s insistence on getting his friends roles in his movies often backfired, as producers and directors would intentionally do the opposite.

“Every time he asked the director or producer to put one of his friends into the movie… they don’t want to do anything that he suggests.” – Fabiano Iha