Should Celebrity BJJ Award Belts?

Since they don’t actually roll/spar should they get belt promotion. I would think that rolling would be a big part of being promoted. Is that the equivalent of being at a cardio boxing where you just punch bags and then get given the title of golden gloves boxer?

Didn't you hear?  Everyone deserves to be promoted.  The guy who shows up once every couple of months and doesnt roll(he has been training for years bro),  the old guy that doesnt know how to do a kimura(he is old so its ok, jiu jitsu is for everyone), the physically/mentally challenged kid in the wheelchair who may or may not know where he is(that's inspiring bro), the instructor's wife, the instructor's girlfriend, the new chick who blew the instructor(blue belt level bjs dude) and of course the guy who owns the strip mall, donated to the competitors gofundme and helped the instructor with the rent(he does so much for the sport).

Why would a celebrity that visited once be any different?

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Needless to say, a lot of the whole celebrities getting belts thing is about the giver trying to attach themselves to the famous person.

If you give a “famous” person a belt, that gives you,the instructor, some kind of notoriety. Most instructors could care less if the person is deserving.

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So nepotism should somehow skip bjj? 

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What someone else’s belt color is has no effect on my own jiu jitsu.

I couldn’t care less. 

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I have heard Ed O’Neil is a beast on the mat, as is Ashton Kutcher.  I see a lot of celebs getting their pics taken with Rigan but dont see any of them wearing anything other than a white belt.  Do you have examples?  Do you know of any who (supposedly)  are not allowed to roll?

Even though I hate him, I heard Ashton Kutcher used to be a pretty good wrestler so I’m sure his purple is legit.

Even though she’s hot and fucked a BJJ black belt is Levato really a blue?

Doesnt appear Rigan is promoting them.  From the article;

Do your celebrity students that have limited sparring, still get promoted (belts) like the other regular BJJ players that spar all the time?

I have only promoted 1 of my celebrity students and he spars almost every day that he trains, about 3-4 times a week. The rest of the celebrity students stay at their belt rank unless they begin sparring consistently. Some of the celebrity students came from other academies with their belt rankings.

Also I should mention that people should be less concerned about others training methods and ranking and more worried about the time they spend on the mat themselves.

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^ I call B.S. on Rigan making it to class 3-4 times a week.

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Unless it is a black belt I couldn't care less about someone who does or doesn't deserve their belt color.  

jujitsujamo -

Doesnt appear Rigan is promoting them.  From the article;

Do your celebrity students that have limited sparring, still get promoted (belts) like the other regular BJJ players that spar all the time?

I have only promoted 1 of my celebrity students and he spars almost every day that he trains, about 3-4 times a week. The rest of the celebrity students stay at their belt rank unless they begin sparring consistently. Some of the celebrity students came from other academies with their belt rankings.

Also I should mention that people should be less concerned about others training methods and ranking and more worried about the time they spend on the mat themselves.

Pretty much this.  Hell its hilarious people give a shit as there are black belts who award rank to students w cash (but no celeb cred) all the time who barely even sweat as they never roll w anyone, including their teacher.  If a person can legitimately earn their rank I don't give a fuck if they wash dishes or they won an Oscar, good for them.  But I am not running around TMZ style trying to dissect the training methods their teacher is putting on them as it has no bearing on me.

Hey Beer Man -

Unless it is a black belt I couldn't care less about someone who does or doesn't deserve their belt color.  

I remember a time when a blue belt meant you were certified legit.  Some years and many crappy blue belts later purple belt was where you expected a guy to be competent.  Then black belt.  Now I pretty much assume everyone sucks unless I personally roll with them or see them train.

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Hey Beer Man -

Unless it is a black belt I couldn't care less about someone who does or doesn't deserve their belt color.  

Gotta agree with this one. A good friend of mine and I were having a discussion about belt colors and we both agreed that it wouldn't matter to us about belt color. Our thought process was we didnt care if the next day our instructor decided to get rid of belts altogether, we just wanted to get better. But that talk also got us thinking that if that had happend who would still show up?

I heard Keanu Reeves is pretty good.  That being said, I'd pay to watch a celebrity "worlds".  

Robobear -

I heard Keanu Reeves is pretty good.  That being said, I'd pay to watch a celebrity "worlds".  

Has he been out there and trained with any of the guys? 

Reeves, Kutcher, Walker, O’Neil are / were all supposedly extremely legit at their belt rank and spar 

I train with Scott Caan on occasion.  Dude is legit.  Definitely a BB.  I know he rolls a TON.

Yeah but BJJ is clicky as fuck regardless of celebrity, if you come from MT culture and I mean late 90’s and then grapple through 00’s and particularly now the last 10-11 years, a significant enough proportion of BJJ gyms for it to be ‘cultural’ are really fucking weird and clicky between groups about who gets grading, belts and attention from instructors. It’s no meritocracy of effort, ability, toughness or dedication, it’s 50% a bunch of bitches acting like 13 year old girls and that’s why a lot of purple + belted BJJ guys can’t fight for shit and only a small proportion can hang. It’s not a slight on BJJ just the twats in modern gyms

Most legit is probably Guy Ritchie and Statham and Rogan