BJJ legend Leo Castello Branco has just become the latest man to receive his coral belt, one of the highest ranks available in the sport. The coral belt in BJJ comes when a grappler has reached the rank of 7th degree black belt, and it requires decades of dedication to achieve. Branco is no exception to this of course, and he has spent 31 years at the rank of black belt before receiving the promotion from his mentor Fernando Pinduka in a simple ceremony in Rio De Janeiro. Castello Branco has reached the very highest level of the sport as both a competitor and a coach, and is an important figure in the development of the sport.
Castello Branco was an elite competitor in his youth and he had famous matches with several key figures of the 1990s like Ricardo Liborio and Murilo Bustamante. The highest point of Branco’s competitive career came in 1996 and 1999 when he stood on the podium of the IBJJF World Championship. He eventually retired from competition and moved on to coaching instead, becoming one of the men behind the creation of Brasa Clube de Jiu-Jitsu. It’s been a long and illustrious career from Branco and he’s had a hand in bringing the sport to thousands of people all around the world.
Leo Castello Branco shared the news that he had been promoted to BJJ Coral belt by Fernando Pinduka in a recent post to his official Instagram account, with the following message (translated from the original Portuguese):
“Finally, the time has come to consolidate a work of more than three decades at black belt, competing, founding great teams, organizing events and federations, forming champions inside and outside the tatamis, and where I was taught to love the art we practice and to defend it at all costs, in putting the test, even if we need to give our blood. I am very proud to have played a part in paving this road for many who today live out Jiu-Jitsu. And it couldn’t be anyone else to graduate me in the black belt, I made sure that it was like this, a simple ceremony but of great significance. Thank you Master Pinduka, an honor to share this moment with you among many others in the past. It would take me a long time quoting names that were important in this walk and it would end up being unfair to someone. So thank you to everyone from the 80s from the organizers of our championships to my training friends and opponents, to teachers, the students, and everyone who is part of the big Jiu-Jitsu family today! Thank you god!”