Actor and comedian Russell Brand has just received his second BJJ promotion to purple belt thanks to his long-time coach, Roger Gracie black belt Chris Cleere. Brand has been an outspoken proponent of Jiu-Jitsu for quite some time now and has been open about the benefits that he believes the sport has brought to him on numerous occasions. Brand has spent around two years at blue belt as he received that promotion from another Roger Gracie black belt, Kev Capel, back in July 2019. He announced the news of the monumental achievement in a post to his official Instagram account where he mentioned that he’s also been training in kickboxing recently too.
Unlike many celebrities who take part in the sport, Brand has also been vocal about his desire to spar just like any other person stepping on the mats would do. As it stands, many celebrities who take up the sport instead choose to practice it in a much more controlled way without having much risk of injury or minor bruises and abrasions that would otherwise cause difficulty in their careers. It’s for this reason that it should be impossible for any potential detractors to take away from the news that Russell Brand has received his purple belt in BJJ, he will have had to earn it exactly the same as anyone else would.
He’s not the only one either, fellow actor Mario Lopez has also been seen getting in tough sparring on numerous occasions and doesn’t shy away from the more difficult parts of the sport. Many of the celebrities who choose to pursue the sport in the UK find themselves approaching the same lineage as Brand as well, with Roger Gracie himself having trained a number of famous actors in his time. It’s these connections that have led to him being invited to red carpet events and elevating the status of the sport as a result. In the end, celebrities taking up BJJ and progressing in it can only ever be a good thing for those who train on a daily basis.
