A decorated military veteran faced an unexpected challenge when returning to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training at a new gym, as instructors questioned his purple belt rank and suggested demoting him to blue belt.
The veteran, who earned two Purple Hearts during his service, sustained significant injuries from an IED that left him partially blind in his right eye and required multiple surgeries. After a five-year hiatus from training due to these injuries, he recently attempted to resume his BJJ journey at a local gym.
However, the gym’s instructors contacted his original instructor via email, expressing doubts about the legitimacy of his purple belt due to his current performance level. The original instructor, a black belt who awarded him the purple belt in 2018, provided certification documents confirming the rank.
Despite this verification, the new gym’s management informed them they would request the veteran accept a demotion to blue belt and “earn back” his purple belt.
This kind of thing is incredibly rare and usually involves consent from the person getting demoted. Notable examples are MMA veteran Enson Inoue who briefly demoted himself back to purple belt. And allegedly Gracie Academy demoted then UFC star Brendan Schaub from Brown to White belt. This also created a major controversy and Schaub subsequently denied this took place after saying this is exactly what happened on a JRE companion podcast in around 2016.
At the IBJJF No-Gi Worlds, a controversial incident involving purple belt Caleb Brown sparked intense debate. Brown intentionally forced his opponent, Chef Zach Ayman, into a reap position, leading to Ayman’s disqualification despite a video review. The move, widely criticized as unsportsmanlike, highlighted concerns over competitors exploiting rules to win at any cost. The backlash from the BJJ community was swift, with many calling for a reassessment of the no-reap rule and IBJJF’s refereeing standards. Critics argue that outdated regulations enable manipulation rather than fair competition, raising doubts about the integrity of IBJJF events. Brown was subsequently demoted – losing a couple of stripes.
Andrew Wiltse commented: “Demoting someone who just joined your gym is pretty crazy. It means they have to be placing an insane amount of emphasis on the belt system. I’d wager there’s some weird shit that goes on at that gym. You’re right that your buddy earned those belts, period.”
“The belt is always his; he legitimately earned it,” stated his original instructor, who compared belt ranks to college degrees. “Once earned, it is always yours, no matter what. If you earned a blue belt at age 18, and at age 50, you start BJJ again, you keep your blue belt.”
The situation has sparked debate within the BJJ community, with many practitioners expressing support for the veteran. Several high-ranking instructors have commented that while skill levels may fluctuate due to injuries or extended breaks, earned ranks should be honored.
“I’ve met a purple belt with a leg and an arm amputated. These practitioners aren’t going to dominate competitions, but they are legitimate in my opinion,” shared one black belt instructor with over 11 years of experience.
The veteran’s original instructor emphasized that his former student’s character and achievements should be respected, noting his exemplary military service and dedication to helping others.
Many in the BJJ community are calling for the gym to reconsider their position, suggesting that extended coaching at the current rank would be more appropriate than demotion for practitioners returning after long absences or dealing with physical limitations.
Full post:
Background: I am a black belt under M.A. My buddy is a purple belt. (I gave it to him around 6 years ago). He is a solid dude and was a great athlete, but he had some significant surgeries from the military and hasn’t trained in probably 5 years. He was hurt, and after years of aches, pains, and surgeries, he is trying to get back into it, but there is a catch. The dude is half blind in his right eye from IED Blast, chunks of his thighs were cut out etc….
Situation: He doesn’t live near me he only has a more “traditional BJJ” gym near him. One of the instructors from the gym emailed me and asked if he was a purple belt because he wasn’t good, and they thought he was lying.
That didn’t sit well with me, considering how I know my buddy. We served together in the military, and he is the guy you want helping your wife or child if they are sick or drunk. He is a very honorable person.
My buddy is a Purple Heart veteran (x2). He has many awards and is a stand-up human we would all be lucky to know.
I told them that, yes, I gave him his purple belt back in 2018, and I even emailed them certificates of promotion that I gave to him.
They were flabbergasted.
They told me they were going to ask him to be a blue belt and earn his purple belt back.
Anyway, I went off on a diatribe about how belts are like college degrees: you earn them, and they are always yours, but sometimes we get a college degree and never work in that field, or we don’t work for some other reason. The belt is always his; he legit earned it, and I would never tell someone to go to a lower belt.
I firmly stand that once earned, it is always yours, no matter what. if you earned a blue belt at age 18, and at age 50, you start bjj again, you keep your blue belt…
Questions:
What does everyone think?
What, if any, experience do you have on this?
