Let’s face it, most BJJ black belts are more than proud of their rank and as it takes roughly 10 years to achieve, this is understandable. Unlike most other forms of martial arts, the black belt in BJJ takes much longer to get and so holds higher significance.
Also, as BJJ is still relatively new in the big scheme of things, it’s something that can be traced back a few generations into the past. If you compare this to something like Karate, it’s understandable why BJJ black belts are so proud of their rank. So, what happens when someone fraudulently calls themself a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu? Read on to find out more.
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The story of Jay Queiroz and his exposure
Mike Palladino was a brown belt at the time when he heard about Jay Queiroz, who was BJJ in New York. This is where Palladino was situated and he decided to check out the gym of Queiroz and see for himself. The rest is well documented below and it’s a good job Palladino filmed it as it shows what happened.
If you watch the drilling and rolling videos of Queiroz, then it’s clear that he’s barely even a blue belt. Here, he shows single leg takedowns without correct head positioning, sloppy armbars with poor technique and toeholds without control. As Palladino’s video shows, Quieroz was incredibly defensive and vague about his lineage. A classic sign of a BJJ black belt fraud.
Ruben Alvarez calls out a fake black belt who hands his belt over
In another video, legitimate Fight Sports black belt Ruben Alvarez noticed a visiting black belt who didn’t seem quite legitimate. In fact, he was apparently awful and it showed. According to Alvarez, he knew something was up when the black belt couldn’t tie his belt correctly which is a clear giveaway. You’d think training at something for 10 years or so would result in being able to tie your belt correctly.
In this video, Alvarez was more heated than others and was visibly annoyed because of what it represented. This ended with Alvarez demanding the belt and showing the fraud the door. Although Alvarez never got physical, he taught the imposter a good lesson.
Mark McMahon becomes a third degree black belt
Apparently, Mark McMahon was a regular blue belt. Then, within the space of a few weeks, he posted a picture of himself wearing a third degree black belt on Instagram. What’s more is that McMahon’s blue belt was also meant to be from Gracie University, an online course that awards blue belts that are based on self defense.
As quickly as this one cropped up, it disappeared and McMahon faded into the confines of internet history. There is no video but the picture tells the story.
Jeremy Varney, sneaks into a Texas UFC gym
Back in the day, UFC gyms didn’t quite have the regulations around black belt requirements that they have today. In fairness, the reputation of UFC gyms isn’t bad and there are some pretty good ones out there if you want to get fit, do BJJ, and train MMA.
However, at some point a guy named Jeremy Varney swindled his way into teaching at a UFC gym in Texas. On the video, he was asked to roll but denied, after suddenly claiming an injury on the spot. He eventually claimed his black belt was from ‘a guy in Hawaii’ and was eventually ousted. As ever, he was vague about his past and intentionally dodged questions.
Are all BJJ black belts legit?
Overall, it’s still fair to say that roughly 99% of BJJ black belts are legitimate. Sadly, there will always be the odd one who slips through the net and gets by for a while. It’s quite odd to see this behavior as it doesn’t really prove much.
Nonetheless, this is what some people put themselves through. Luckily though, due to the easy tracking of lineage and tough nature of BJJ sparring, most pretenders are put off trying to act as a black belt in BJJ and usually flock to easier, less scrutinized arts such as Karate where they can blend in easier.
