UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has just been promoted to purple in BJJ by his instructor Roberto Tussa Alencar.
Jones was a blue belt from July 2017 to now. He regularly trains in the Gi at Gracie Barra.
Jones simply stated:
I haven’t felt this honored in a really long time. Thank you @graciebarra
Coach Tussa stated:
I am very proud and honored to work along side with this extremely talented athlete. @jonnybones made a commitment and has dedicated some time with the GI after his last fight. I am a big believer that traininng with the GI on and off camps is #supernecessary to develop a deeper understanding of the ground game. I am excited to showcase the work we have been putting in.
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I haven’t felt this honored in a really long time. Thank you @graciebarra
In the past his coach has said:
“He has to get at least a blue belt. But he has to understand the principle of Jiu-Jitsu, has to understand the rules, philosophy, have to spend some time on it. I can not give the belt to him just because he’s Jon Jones. So about that classic photo where he’s a white belt, I said, ‘Jon Jones, I’ll tie the white belt on you there because you have never trained kimono. You are good enough to have submitted a BJJ black belt with guillotine and americana (Lyoto Machida, Vitor Belfort) and everything, but that does not make you a black belt ‘. So I want him to work. It is a way to force him to put the Gi and train, just as my students do. I do not think that it’s fair for my students who work for one or two years to get a blue belt, and Jon Jones, only because it is a UFC star, gets the blue belt with no idea of philosophy, not knowing who is his and my master and all. That’s how I think and he respected that a lot, ”
At the UFC 182 Post-Fight Press Conference Jon Jones declared that he was going to start working toward his BJJ Black Belt. He’s on the right track.
