Celebrities that do bjj

Do you know what the most popular martial art is among celebrities? That’s right it is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu! Celebrities from all walks of life, from actors, through singers to comedians and everyone in between are turning to the Gentle art. Some like to train just for the sake of it, others are addicted to Jiu-Jitsu and some are even very high-level black belts! The list of celebrities who train BJJ is constantly growing, but a more interesting question is where do celebrities go for their Jiu-Jitsu classes?Let’s make something clear. Even though celebrities who train BJJ are plenty, running into one in a regular class is not something that happens often. The academies that celebrities choose are not inaccessible for others, they just either book privates, or tend to even join in classes designed especially for them. That said, o you know which BJJ academy has the most celebrities training there?On the list of celebrities who train BJJ, you’ll find just about anyone. And why not? Jiu-Jitsu is one of the most fun and entertaining ways of getting into crazy good shape. Moreover, training and even rolling don’t threaten the faces of the celebrities, which is oftentimes their primary concern. Plus, they get to learn actual self-defense and martial arts skill which are particularly useful to actors, especially those that are a part of action flicks.Plenty of the celebrities that star in the latest blockbuster movies actually found Jiu-Jitsu through preparing for certain roles. A very often cited example Is Keanu Reeves, who trained rigorously for the John Wick trilogy, and has no intention of stopping. He even pulled Halle Berry into it after the third edition. Scarlett Johanson is another celebrity who turned to BJJ for her role as the Balck Widow and got hooked. Other famous people that are openly crazy about Jiu-jitsu are Demi Lovato, Russel Brand, Ashton Kitcher and plenty of others.Celebrities who train BJJ keep helping the art grow, both among their peers and the regular population. That often raises the question of whether you can run into your favorite, or any celebrity for that matter if you go for a BJJ class? Well, depending on where you are, your chances vary. If you’re in the California area and go to train regularly, you’re bound to run into a celebrity training on the mats. If you’re lucky, you might end up even rolling with one. However, given the sheer number of academies in California alone, certain schools are far more popular among celebrities compared to others.Where Do Celebrities Go To Train BJJ? Where do most of the celebrities who train BJJ go to for their classes? Well, given their crazy schedules and the desire to

Whether it is Hollywood, the music industry, reality TV, or social media icons, everyone has celebrities they like and follow. And, let’s be honest, it’s always cool to find out you’ve got something in common with your favorite stars. You may be surprised to learn just how many A-list celebs train the Gentle Art! Check out the ultimate list of celebrity BJJ practitioners below. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: A Trend Among CelebritiesBrazilian Jiu Jitsu is not new to the world of movies. One of the most iconic Hollywood BJJ representations is Mel Gibson’s unforgettable choke in the first Lethal Weapon movie (1987). The choke was no coincidence as Rorion Gracie was the fight choreography consultant for the film.As the BJJ evolved and gained popularity, more and more fight choreography consultants pointed famous actors towards Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in order to prepare them for their roles. What they probably didn’t count on is the celebrities themselves getting hooked on BJJ. What started as just another task of role preparation, ended up turning into a Hollywood, and then a worldwide trend. Celebrity BJJ practitioners are all over the show business world now, from actors and singers to comedians and YouTube personalities.The Ultimate List Of Nearly Every Celebrity BJJ PractitionerOur BJJ celebrity list won’t include every celeb who has taken a trial lesson or has done a few private classes for a role. For example, an actor/actress training for a role and never again visiting a Jiu Jitsu class on their own, does not constitute a celebrity BJJ practitioner. For our purposes celebrity BJJ practitioners must have trained with some degree of regularity. As you’ll soon find out this doesn’t mean that the list of celebrities who do Jiu Jitsu is short! Is your favorite celebrity on the list? Read on to find out. Mario LopezActor Mario Lopez is best known for his role as AC Slater in the TV series Saved by the Bell, but today he is known for competing in BJJ alongside his son. Lopez recently posted a picture of him and his son posing with medals at a local competition

All you need to get hooked to the Gentle Art. Russel is also training under the Roger Gracie Academy umbrella, with his instructor being Kec Capel. Brand currently holds the rank of blue belt in Jiu-Jitsu.Nicolas CageTalk about “A” list celebrities who train BJJ. Cage is not only training but has been doing so for years under Royce Gracie. He is very dedicated to the art and is even the main star of an upcoming film that is named “Jiu-Jitsu”. Although on the funny side, the movie will showcase Cage’s Jiu-Jitsu skills in fending off alien invaders. If you’re ever in Royce |Graci’s main academy, you might get the chance to check if Cage’s Jiu-Jitsu is out of this world.Jason StathamOf course Jason Statham trains BJJ. He is another actor who BJJ suits perfectly, just like Tom Hardy. Statham is actually a purple belt and a great one at that. He is also training in the Roger Gracie Academy, and has trained with Roger’s father and coral belt Mauricio Gomes too. Statham started training with Guy Ritchie, but never really matched the director’s obsession and dedication to grappling. That said, he is a formidable grappler and will undoubtedly earn his black belt soon as well.Scarlett JohansenTurning again to the finer half, Ultra popular actress Scarlett Johansen is also among the celebrities who train BJJ. Given the demands of her role in The Avengers, and subsequently her own movie about the Black Widow, training Jiu-Jitsu is the obvious thing to do. Just like most other Holywood celebrities, her “base of operations” for grappling is the Beverly Hills Machado academy, with Rigan as her main coach.Antony Bourdain Before we end the list of favorite locations for celebrities to train Jiu-Jitsu, let’s look at where celebrities that are no longer with us preferred to train as well. Anthony Bourdain was a huge ambassador of Brazilian JIu-JItsu and used every possible moment he had to train. He even competed as a blu belt, winning gold at a tournament. He did not take training lightly, making Renzo’s NYC academy his base academy, and we all know the killers that train there under Renzo and John Danaher. Bourdain was known to train in regular classes and roll with anyone.Paul Walker The Fast And Furious star died tragically at an early age, and as a brown belt in BJJ. Walker loved training BJJ and was a member of the Paragon Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy in California. Ricardo Miller, Walker’s coach was also a great friend of the star and gave him his black belt posthumously. Both the grappling and cinematic world lost a really big figure when Paul Walker died.Can You Roll With Celebrities? The answer to this

Question is a simple no. Rolling in Jiu-Jitsu is a tricky business and celebrities do not need the hassle of being tormented by just any training partner. That’s understandable. Of course, there are those among the celebrities that do indulge in rolls with people that are in class. However, most celebrities tend to train in privates, or even specially organized classes.Given the number of celebrities his academy attracts, which, by the way, started with Chuck Norris, Rigan Machado has actually devised a special curriculum for celebrities who train BJJ. He spent 9 years developing a system that has nearly 700 techniques and that he describes as “flow Jiu-Jitsu”. According to Rigan, the system does not involve full-on rolling, but rather technical drilling and position sparring.Still, be careful what you wish for. Some of those celebrities that do want to roll, will most likely be able to crush you with ease. Think about rolling with Guy Ritchie or Jason Statham, for example.In SummaryAs Gracie Barra often likes to point out, Jiu-Jitsu is for everyone. Well, celebrities who train BJJ further help prove that point. If these people, that have ultra-busy schedules and crazy lifestyles can train regularly, and get through the belt system, so can ordinary people. That said if you want to perhaps get the chance of a glimpse, or even maybe a roll with a celebrity, certain academies might just provide you with a shot. Just remember, it is not smart to use the information in this article to stalk your favorite celebrity. Particularly not when they know how to fight.

Guy Ritchie is a legitimate Black Belt in BJJ under Renzo Gracie and has now spent more than 20 years training Jiu Jitsu. Most people don’t know that he is also a Black Belt in Shotokan Karate with over 15 years of experience. Like this wasn’t enough, he also holds a Black Belt in Judo.The director, producer and screenwriter is known for movies like King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Disney’s Aladdin and the Sherlock Holmes movies.Check out Part 1 of our YouTube BJJ Celebrities Series which covers Guy Ritchie’s complete Jiu Jitsu journey:Everything you need to know about Guy Ritchie’s Jiu Jitsu Journey:Guy Ritchie’s Martial Arts and BJJ JourneyThe celebrity started his martial arts career with training Shotokan Karate at the Budokwai in London, which is the oldest Japanese martial arts club in Europe. He kept training Karate for 15 years and achieved a 2nd Dan Black Belt.After being plagued by injuries like two consecutive ACL tears in the right leg he saw a video of Helio Gracie on the mats at the age of 84 years. Guy realized he won’t be able to do martial arts at an old age if he keeps pursuing striking arts. As a result, he decided to give Judo a try as there was no Brazilian Jiu Jitsu available in London at the time. He ended up earning a Judo Black Belt over the years.When Roger Gracie, who later became an eight-time BJJ world champion, came to London Guy Richtie decided to take lessons with him. After Guy moved to New York he started training under Renzo Gracie, who is a 6th Degree Black Belt and one of the best BJJ coaches today.Ritchie earned all his BJJ Belts from Renzo Gracie and spent 7 years as a Brown Belt before being promoted to Black Belt.In the following video Guy talks about his martial arts journey on Joe Rogan’s podcast:How good is Guy Ritchie at Jiu Jitsu?After more than 20 years of training BJJ and another 15 years of training Karate and Judo Guy has plenty experience in martial arts. He competed many times and proved his skills in competitive settings as seen below.Guy Ritchie competing in Jiu JitsuMany celebrities only take private lessons in BJJ and never roll with the public let alone compete in BJJ. Guy Ritchie’s path was different. He started training before he was famous and loves to test himself