In a heartwarming ceremony that captured the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community’s attention, legendary martial artist Masakazu Imanari bestowed a black belt upon his dedicated student Billy H Ker in an unexpected and touching manner, literally tying the coveted rank around the recipient’s neck.
The promotion marked the culmination of a remarkable 17-year journey that began with adversity and transformed into triumph. The newly minted black belt shared his path from a life-changing incident in 2008 through his eventual rise to the sport’s highest amateur rank.
“I laid in hospital feeling weak and promising I’d never let that happen to myself or others around me again,”
the practitioner recalled of the medical procedure that required partial titanium jaw reconstruction following a real life incident. This pivotal moment sparked his entry into martial arts, initially through MMA training on Australia’s Gold Coast.
The student’s dedication to the art led him to relocate to Japan in 2012 where he would eventually cross paths with Imanari, the renowned leg lock specialist known throughout the mixed martial arts and submission grappling worlds. Their training relationship began in earnest in 2018 when the student started making regular trips to Tokyo to learn from the master.
“Cheers! To be honest, coming from MMA, I always preferred nogi right from the beginning,”
the new black belt explained when asked about his decision to train exclusively without the traditional gi uniform. He cited practical reasons including easier transportation on crowded Japanese trains and a preference for unrestricted movement.
The promotion ceremony, which took place in 2025, was witnessed by fellow practitioners who celebrated the achievement with enthusiastic applause.
The journey included several significant milestones: earning his blue belt from Daniel Lima in 2011, achieving purple rank in 2015 and receiving his brown belt from Imanari in 2023. Throughout this progression, he maintained his commitment to the no-gi style of training, focusing on techniques applicable to mixed martial arts.
The promotion has resonated deeply within the martial arts community, with practitioners expressing congratulations and sharing their own experiences training with Imanari.
