Congrats! 
Congrats! A true inspiration!
Congrats
cool hand Ed -Congrats brother. :)
It seems like only yesterday when we were all on Mousel's forum where I first read your story about challenging Royce. Time moves too fast.
You are the man.
HEY ED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol
Long time! Yeah, Mousels. wow. Treehouse baby! ANyhow, good to hear you're still here. I'm gonna recap this story for everyone who doesn't know it. :)
Ozzimandias - Congrats man! Unbelievable accomplishment with everything you have been through. Jamal is a beast for sure. Got to roll with him a few times when he came to dallas to train at Carlos's.
I may be there in Dallas this year, still not sure yet.
Dude!! Congratulations, man!!!!!!
Very well deserved!!!
Awesome!
Paul Maul -Very nice! I know Jamel McCurry quite well. I'm friends with him. You train out of MI then I take it? I started BJJ in 2005 and Jamel was a purple belt at our school. Man, is he a BEAST! We both started under a Montise Peterson. You know him perhaps?
Yep. I train out of Ohio now, run an affiliate school here. I lived in MI for about 2 years and trained with Jamel then, and decided to stay under him since I'm only about 3.5 hours away. And yes, I've trained with Montise. Or, mor accurately, been smashed by Montise. :)
Thanks Andre. :)
Ok, story: Challenge of Royce Gracie. lol
first, just to clarify, I am still battling cancer. Just had the tumor out of my back in May. I will continue to battle it until they find a cure. :) Fuck Cancer
THANK YOU to whoever bought me a blue
Ok, 1995 after he fought Ken the 2nd time, he came to a school (high school I think) in Cleveland Ohio. I saw it in the Cleveland Plain Dealer believe it or not. lol
Anyhow, I was a black belt in Kenpo Karate from age 8 till then... I was about 20 years old I think. I decided after watching UFC's 2 -5 that this guy was fighting set ups and easy fights. Yeah, I know.
So i went to the seminar. Saw him in the locker room before the seminar, as I was changing, I walked up to him (long hair and all..lol) and said "Hey, Mr Gracie. I'd like to take you up on the challenge and see how I do" Something like that. He replied "Ok my friend, but only after the seminar in case I get hurt.... lots of people paid for this." With a smirk on his face. I took the seminar, and fell in love with BJJ. Afterwards, I went to buy a shirt, one of the old ones, black with the gracie symbol on the back. I wanted to slip out afterwards, but he saw me and this bigger guy said :Hey, you still fighting Royce, right?" I tried to get out of it. Eventually said to Royce "ok, but maybe we could go just without too many strikes or whatever on the ground?" "No, it's ok my friend, you can do whatever you want, i'll just slap you a little bit.." so, he proceeded to humiliate me for a few minutes, smacking the crap out of me from mount and back until he choked me. He complimented himself a little while doing it, which looking back was kinda funny. Afterwards, he told me to go train with the bigger guy (turned out to be Craig Cramer) in Cleveland. I made it to his school about a year later hoping he'd forgotten who I was. He hadn't and called me steven seagal for the next 5 years. lol
That's it. :)
Congrats man. 
vtfu McLeod. thanks for sharing that story
TTT for a true warrior!
Thanks McLeod!
Very nice work Sir!
omedetou!
Congratulations man. Well done.
I admire your perseverance. Congratulations
amazing story. congrats!
wow sweet
ttt just in case anyone missed it. :) I'm pretty proud, so deal. lol
Congrats! I can't even imagine how awesome it must feel to receive a black belt.