Jacob Barber, the US Air Force veteran who recently made headlines for his revelations about a classified UFO retrieval program, is also a Gracie University black belt instructor and owner of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Elk Cove.

Barber, who garnered national attention this week after his interview with NewsNation where he disclosed witnessing “nonhuman” technology during his time as a military helicopter pilot, has been practicing Gracie Jiu-Jitsu since the late 1990s when he was first introduced to the martial art during his Air Force service.

In the UFO program, Barber reported encountering an egg-shaped aircraft that he observed from 100 feet away using night vision goggles.

“Just visually looking at the object on the ground, you could tell that it was extraordinary and anomalous,” Barber said. “It was not human.”

While his recent UFO-related revelations have captured public attention, Barber’s dedication to Gracie Jiu-Jitsu has been equally noteworthy. His journey in the martial art includes competing at the prestigious Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro tournament in 2018 as a blue belt in the Master 3 94KG division.

“Jacob is passionate about education and has dedicated his professional life to teaching,” says his Gracie Academy website. His philosophy that “to teach is to learn” has guided his approach both as a martial arts instructor and throughout his military career.

The full interview detailing Barber’s experiences with the UFO retrieval program, titled “Hunting UFOs: The Crash Retrieval Whistleblower,” will air on NewsNation at 8 p.m. Saturday. His claims are reportedly corroborated by three other veterans and supported by video footage.