Veteran BJJ competitor Ronaldo Delibero has just joined a very exclusive club in the sport after being promoted to the rank of coral belt by Carlson Gracie Jr. It takes decades of dedication and work on the mat to earn a coral belt and very few men and women will ever reach that goal. Becoming a black belt is difficult enough and although there’s no exact timeframe, for most people it will take around 10 to 12 years. There is a time limit on becoming a coral belt though, as each degree on a black belt is awarded after a certain amount of time.
In total it will take 37 years for a black belt to reach their 7th degree and be awarded the coral belt, so it’s no surprise that injuries and age make this a rare achievement. Delibero hasn’t just been on the mats developing his skills for all that time though, he’s also been putting them to the test in competition too. He was a key member of the Carlson Gracie team that had success at the highest level of the sport in the 90s and he’s remained just as active in the years since then by competing in Masters divisions too.
Delibero has won multiple IBJJF Master World Championship titles across different age divisions, with his most recent appearance being a bronze medal at Master 7 last year. Delibero now represents Fight Sports Miami and is a frequent training partner of Roberto ‘Cyborg’ Abreu; who hosted his belt promotion ceremony at their headquarters. Delibero has already passed Jiu-Jitsu on to the next generation of his family too, as both of his sons are black belts. Both are active competitors at the highest level too, with Bernardo Delibero recently starting his MMA career and Victor Delibero competing at UFC Fight Pass Invitational last year.
Ronaldo Delibero shared the footage of his promotion to BJJ coral belt by Carlson Gracie Jr in a recent post to his official Instagram account:
