While most people may be quick to think that the black belt is the highest belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, they are wrong. There is one belt above it, and it’s the famous red belt.
A red belt in BJJ represents the prestige and is reserved for the ultimate masters of this popular martial art. Therefore, it’s extremely rare and you guessed it, it’s almost impossible to get.
So, let’s get into the details about what a red belt is and how many there are.
What is a Red Belt in BJJ?
If you are broadly familiar with the belt ranking system in BJJ, you know that there are many grades to the black belt, which is also hard to get and it requires many skills to master and many, many years of hard training and competitions to deserve it.
However, the red belt is even more prestigious than the black belt. The red belt stands for the best of the best and the only way to get this coveted rank is by showing that you are an absolute master of BJJ.
Before the famous red belt, a 7th and 8th-degree black belt can wear the red/black and red/white coral belts, respectively.
The 9th and 10th-degree black belts are called red belts. The persons wearing these are called “Grandmasters”. They possess the utmost knowledge of BJJ and have left a mark on the martial art.
How do you become a Red Belt?
So far, you get the idea that getting the red belt is one of the hardest things to accomplish in BJJ. When you become a black belt, which can’t be done under the minimum age of 19, years must pass before you move on from one degree to another.
As the most prestigious belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, getting the red belt takes a minimum of 52.5 years of training, as stated by IBJJF. In order to understand that better, if you get a black belt at the earliest possible age of 19, you can become a red belt at 67, at the earliest.
List of BJJ Red Belts
Let’s now see who are the owners of the prestigious red belt in BJJ. A fun fact is that the 10th-degree black belts are reserved for the founders of BJJ, members of the famous Gracie Family: Helio, Carlos, Gastão, Jorge, and Oswaldo.
9th Degree
- Pedro Hemeterio
- João Alberto Barreto
- Alvaro Barreto
- Flavio Behring
- Carlson Gracie
- Carley Gracie
- Geny Rebello
- Armando Wridt
- Oswaldo Fadda
- Pedro Valente
- Wilson Mattos
- Luis Carlos Guedes de Castro
- Francisco Mansur
- Rorion Gracie
- Osvaldo Alves
- Relson Gracie
- Carlos Antonio Rosado
- Renato Paquet
- Francisco Sá
- Robson Gracie
- Amelio Arruda
- Arthur Virgilio Neto
- Candido Casale
- Crézio Chavez
- Deoclecio Paulo
- Eduardo Gomes Pereira
- Geraldo Flores
- Helio Vigio
- Jose Higino
- Julio Secco
- Luiz Franca
- Nahum Rabay
- Nilton Pereira da Silva
- Octavio de Almeida
- Oswaldo Carnivale
- Oswaldo “Paqueta”
- Paulo Mauricio Strauch
- Pedro Emerito
- Walter Nogueira
- Orlando Saraiva
- Rickson Gracie
10th Degree
- Helio Gracie
- Carlos Gracie
- Gastão Gracie
- Jorge Gracie
- Oswaldo Gracie