In one of the more unusual stories to come out of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community, a man named Tearion Scott, founder of Seminary Jujitsu, made headlines after claiming that God personally promoted him to black belt, bypassing the traditional chain of rank progression entirely.
Scott was a brown belt when he promoted two of his students to stripes on their brown belts, which would normally not raise any eyebrows except for one key detail: both students outranked him.
He addressed the situation in a Facebook post, writing: “It was an interesting time in my BJJ. I’m promoting my students above me informally but formally I am their instructor. This is not my fault because I don’t promote myself. In truth, I should have been a black belt in BJJ three years ago, which that would make me a black belt first degree.”
He continued: “Why am I striping students brown belts while I am still a brown belt? Great question. I made a promise to be just and timely to them based upon a BJJ curriculum, not just time. The curriculum mostly drives promotions for me, not time. Show me what you know and I will give you the credit.”
What makes the story even more unusual is the identity of those two students: Christina Jackson Scott and Kate Allen Scott, both of whom share his last name because they are, in fact, his wives.
Two weeks after giving them their brown belt stripes, Scott promoted both women to black belt. Shortly after, they turned around and promoted him to black belt in return.
Rather than acknowledging the circular nature of the promotions, Scott credited a higher authority. “My black belt is ordained of God,” he wrote. “All praises to God for being my true lineage in BJJ. My black belt is recorded up in heaven, first degree black belt. What God has authorized, don’t put asunder and don’t fig ht him who made me a black belt, the Lord Jesus Christ. I heard the voice of God tell me that I was a black belt.”
Scott has also used his platform to launch Seminary Jujitsu, a program that combines martial arts with religious teaching, a new belt structure, a new hierarchy system, and even speaking in tongues during training.
The situation draws an easy comparison to a 2016 case involving Joe McCaffrey, a purple belt who promoted himself to brown belt on camera, citing frustration with what he called the “Brazilian hierarchy” and its gatekeeping of rank.
