Rising UFC lightweight star Terrance McKinney recently expressed disagreement with a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gym’s policy of charging fees associated with belt promotions.
McKinney shared an email from the gym outlining costs ranging from $20 for children’s stripe belt promotions to $150 for a black belt. The email stated that belt promotions were not mandatory and that patrons could opt out of promotions by contacting the school. However, the email also noted fees would be charged for those choosing to participate in promotions.
McKinney, known by his nickname “T Wrecks,” made clear his view that a gym charging for belt promotions lacks legitimacy, referring to it as a “McDojo. This term is used to describe schools prioritizing profits over instruction quality, often through quick promotions and excessive fees lacking genuine skills development. In his social media post, McKinney advised against attending such gyms, reinforcing that legitimate martial arts schools do not impose additional fees for belt promotions. Many practitioners and fans echoed this sentiment, expressing concern that paying for belts undermines the value of hard work and skills mastery in martial arts.
The McDojo phenomenon is a plague that has infected martial arts schools all over the world. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has not been spared by this. What exactly is a McDojo you may ask? It’s basically a martial arts school or franchise of schools that have shady and poor instructors, that are only focused on making money and that make false claims. Most schools are run as businesses but a MCDojo’s sole function is to make money.
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