Rashad “Suga” Evans is an MMA fighter currently competing in the Middleweight division of the UFC. His long fight record gives quite a credence to his account.

In August Demi Lovato was promoted to the rank of bjj blue belt which spawned many doubters and grapplers who were questioning her.

Rules are rules! @ddlovato 😍 #bjjlifestyle #studnation #Repost @6throundpodcast

A post shared by StudRadio.com (@studshowradio) on Aug 29, 2017 at 9:36am PDT

So much so that Orlando Sanchez, who was at the time preparing for the ADCC responded saying:

“The cool thing about training at Unbreakable is that everyone there is a celebrity, so nobody cares… True story, when I met her, I had no f***ing idea who Demi Lovato was. We helped each other a lot over the year because of our similar hearts. She is the most loving, humble, caring person you could ever meet. She’s just another person who puts on her gi and ties her belt like all of us.”

Rashad Evans vouched for Lovato:

 Good to see my buddy @ddlovato @unbreakableperformance. She trains crazy hard! Hell, I thought she was training for a fight but they say that’s just how she rolls.. Big ups young lady!!😉👊

Good to see my buddy @ddlovato @unbreakableperformance. She trains crazy hard! Hell, I thought she was training for a fight but they say that’s just how she rolls.. Big ups young lady!!😉👊#demilovato#unbreakableperformancecenter#ufc#rashadevans

A post shared by Suga Rashad Evans (@sugarashadevans) on May 7, 2016 at 2:44pm PDT

Lovato recently shared how she was forced to reform her life following addiction struggles:

“I knew that I had a lot of life ahead of me but one of the main reasons of getting
sober was so that I could be around my little sister because my mum and dad
[said I couldn’t be around her] if I was doing stuff,”

Lovato has since recommended BJJ as a way to help with Mental Issues and Confidence:

“I would say that if you struggle with depression, anxiety, or any other type of stressors in your life, a really great way to get rid of those is through physical exercise and fitness.” Demi told People magazine.

The fitness routine that has her feeling so strong and confident? Mixed martial arts and jiu-jitsu, she tells.

  “I first got into jiu-jitsu because I loved watching people grapple,” Lovato says. (Jiu-jitsu focuses on hand-to-hand combat moves and ground work such as grappling, throwing, and pinning.) “I think it’s really cool to learn something that helps you with self-defense.” She adds that she also finds MMA fighting meditative because she’s constantly thinking of ways to attack and defend.”