During his recent appearance on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,’ Ashton Kutcher demonstrated his newly earned black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, sharing the journey behind his impressive martial arts achievement.
When Fallon congratulated him on receiving his black belt, Kutcher humbly acknowledged the milestone: “Yeah, thank you, man. Thank you.” He then revealed the extensive time commitment required, stating it took “15 years” to achieve the rank.
Kutcher credited his instructor, saying, “This is Rigan Machado, who’s like one of the greatest in the world. That’s my coach, and he’s coached me for 15 years.” Despite the accomplishment, the actor displayed characteristic humor about his achievement: “And I don’t know. I feel like he gave it to me out of pity. He’s like, ‘You’re getting up there, man. Like, unless you get…'”
The conversation turned more serious as Kutcher reflected on the honor: “But it’s a huge honor. And like, I can’t believe. And I’ve had so many people that I’ve sparred with over the years, and I attribute it all to them.”
When Fallon asked for a demonstration, Kutcher eagerly agreed and explained the fundamental principle of the martial art: “Okay. So, you know, like, the whole thing with jiu jitsu is like most fights go to the ground, right? So within seconds, they go to the ground. So you’re fighting off the ground, right?”
The actor then walked Fallon through a basic defensive scenario. “So let’s just say you push me down, right? So just like shove me. Oh, no, Jimmy. Oh, I fell down, right? Okay. So now I’m down, and now you’re gonna attack me, right? You’re gonna come attack me.”
He proceeded to demonstrate a fundamental grappling escape, carefully showing Fallon where to place his hands and how to shift his weight. After walking him through the mechanics, Kutcher invited Fallon to try the move on him.
Kutcher tried to guide Fallon through the move once more, but Fallon struggled to shift his weight correctly. Kutcher took over in a generous gesture, completing the motion himself and acted defeted as if Fallon had done it.
The crowd erupted as Fallon celebrated his tongue-in-cheek “victory” over a seasoned black belt, capping off the moment with laughter and applause.
