A legendary figure in Japanese mixed martial arts has just gotten the BJJ black belt. Caol Uno, the former Lightweight Champion and UFC tournament winner, recently received his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt from instructor Naoya Uematsu at the NEXUSENSE gym in Tachikawa, Tokyo.
The promotion ceremony took place on January 17th during a belt graduation and new year celebration at the academy. Multiple students advanced to new ranks that day but Uno’s achievement carried particular significance given his decorated combat sports career.
Uematsu, who owns and operates NEXUSENSE, shared his thoughts on awarding the black belt to the veteran competitor.
“For someone who has been active on the front lines of the martial arts world for so long and has continued to approach jiu-jitsu with sincerity, being able to present this black belt was a very significant milestone for both me and the dojo.”
Uno’s competitive resume speaks for itself. With a professional MMA record of 35-23-5, he became co-champion of the UFC 41 Lightweight Tournament and claimed the Sho oto Lightweight Championship during his prime years. Beyond MMA, he has competed in professional wrestling and high-level grappling events including Quintet 1 where he represented Team Polaris alongside Craig Jones. His team emerged victorious at that event though Uno was unavailable for the second installment due to prior commitments.
Gregor Gracie
Craig Jones
Dan Strauss
Caol Uno
Marcin Held
Already holding a black belt in Judo, Uno now adds Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to his list of high-level grappling credentials.
Uno expressed his gratitude simply following the ceremony, thanking those who supported his journey to this point. The NEXUSENSE academy, which offers instruction in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, MMA and wrestling, continues to serve students ranging from beginners to experienced practitioners like Uno.
For a competitor who has spent decades testing himself against top-tier opposition across multiple disciplines, this black belt represents not just technical proficiency but a commitment to continuous growth within the grappling arts.
It also highlights the complete lack of standards when it comes to BJJ promotions. It’s hard to imagine someone with a tremendous amount of experience in martial arts taking this long to get a black belt.
