Last Saturday, January 6th, 2024 was a notable occasion for Wallid Ismail and Carlson Gracie Jr. Carlson Gracie Jr. is the son of the legendary Carlson Gracie. In a ceremony held at Clube Botafogo in Rio de Janeiro, both men were promoted to coral belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, equivalent to achieving the rank of seventh degree or having 31 years as a black belt. Remarkably, in 1993 on the same date, both had received their original black belts from Master Carlson Gracie.
The ceremony was attended by many notable figures in the history of Jiu-Jitsu under the leadership of Carlson Gracie. This included Master Carlos Rosado, who was Carlson Gracie’s first and only recipient of the red belt rank. Fellow red belt Fernando Pinduka had the honor of tying the coral belt around Wallid Ismail. By his own account, Wallid Ismail was overcome with emotion during the event and gave a very heartfelt speech where he emphasized his profound gratitude towards Carlson Gracie.
