Luke Griffith has just received his Jiu-Jitsu black belt from John Danaher after consistently proving himself to be one of the best grapplers in the world. As is often the case with no gi competitors, Griffith has already been facing and beating elite competitors even before this. In fact, he had his first taste of high-level success as a purple belt when he won the ADCC European, Middle-Eastern, and African Trials in 2022. That was one of the early signs that he was going to make it and it earned him the right to compete in the under 99kg division of ADCC 2022 where he lost a close decision in the first round.
Although Griffith obviously would have wanted more for himself, it was still a very impressive performance for someone so early in their career. He was promoted to brown belt after that and soon won another ADCC Trials gold medal in 2023. Griffith also decided to compete under a completely different ruleset and although he was restricted by belt level, he still made headlines by winning double gold at the IBJJF No Gi World Championship that year. That closed out the year for Griffith but it also started him in the oath to the most successful year of his career to date in 2024.
Griffith’s first big win last year came against future ADCC double champion Kaynan Duarte at UFC FPI 7 and to submit such an established competitor is a rare accomplishment. In retrospect that was a sign of things to come too, as Griffith submitted three out of four opponents and finished with a silver medal at ADCC 2024. That is undoubtedly the biggest accolade that Griffith currently holds but he’s also started off 2025 in the same way, beating Victor Hugo by decision at WNO 27. This promotion to black belt truly couldn’t be more well-deserved and although Griffith already competes at the highest level in most promotions, he’ll now be able to add some IBJJF black belt titles to his resume too.
Luke Griffith announced the news that his coach John Danaher had promoted him to black belt in Jiu-Jitsu in a recent post to his official Instagram account, and Danaher shared the following comment:
”Nobody deserves it more Luke. Congratulations on all your success. I’ve seen with my own eyes how hard you’ve worked for it and you’ve risen to an extremely impressive (level) both as an athlete and a coach. Keep doing what you’re doing – you are heading towards your dreams.”
