UFC heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov achieved a significant milestone in his martial arts journey when he earned his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt in December 2023. The promotion ceremony included the traditional ‘gauntlet’ ritual, where practitioners line up and use their belts to strike the newly promoted student as they walk through.
The Russian mixed martial artist received his black belt from professors Marcelo Nunes and Ronny Markes, marking a considerable achievement in his grappling career. Volkov expressed his gratitude on social media, stating, “Thanks to the @porradatc team and the @team_strela team, and personally Selivahina D… for my difficult but very interesting journey in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.”
He added, “I am honored to receive my black belt from the professors @marcelonunesbjj and @ronnymarkes. I still have a lot to learn, but the fact that Marcelo Nunes and Ronny Markes promoted me to black belt says that I already know something!”
The gauntlet tradition, while commonly associated with BJJ culture, actually originated in California during the 1990s at the Machado Jiu-Jitsu Academy through Chris Haueter, one of the first 12 non-Brazilian black belts in the sport. Haueter explained its origins, saying, “having returned from some military training, and being kind of young and dumb, I thought we needed some sort of hazing ritual. Many, including some Brazilians, will disagree that it started at the Machado Academy, the brothers were not there as they were filming a movie. For a while, it got out of hand.”
Volkov’s black belt promotion adds another impressive credential to his already accomplished career. The 36-year-old star has demonstrated his grappling skills throughout his professional career, and this recognition from respected BJJ professors further solidifies his expertise in the ground game.
