Here is the Ultimate Celebrity list of Jiu-Jitsu practitioners. Ever since Royce Gracie showcased the effectiveness of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the first UFC in 1994, the martial art has seen rapid growth in popularity. BJJ schools have continued to open all throughout the world as the art, sport and MMA have become increasingly popular. Celebrities have taken to the martial art for many different reasons. We’ve compiled a complete list of celebrity black belts, practitioners, and even those who are just rumored to train.
Celebrity BJJ Black Belts
They say it takes average of 10 years to get your BJJ black belt.
Here is a list of those celebrities’ that stuck with it and achieved their black belts in BJJ:
Chuck Norris
Rank: Black Belt
Chuck Norris earned his his black belt from the Machado Brothers. Professor Norris earned his 3rd Degree in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from David Dunn, under the guidance of Jean Jacques Machado back in 2015. An American martial artist and actor, he is also a black belt in Tang Soo Do and Judo. After serving in the US Air Force, Norris won many martial arts championships and even founded his own discipline Chun Kuk Do. Chuck went on to be a Hollywood star, training many celebrities in martial arts. He starred in multi Hollywood movies and the successful show, Walker Texas Ranger.
Clark Gregg
Rank: Black Belt
Clark Gregg is a black belt under Renato Magno of Street Sports BJJ in Santa Monica, CA. Clark is an American actor, director, and screenwriter. He is best known for playing Agent Phil Coulson in the Marvel Universe films and shows.
Ed O’Neill
Rank: Black Belt
Ed is a black belt under Rorion Gracie. His career is an American actor and comedian. His roles include Al Bundy on the sitcom Married… with Children and Jay Pritchett on Modern Family.
Guy Ritchie
Rank: Black Belt
Richie spent 7 years as a brown belt before finally getting his black belt in 2015 from Renzo Gracie. Richie is an English film director, producer and screenwriter. His work includes British gangster films, the Sherlock Holmes films and more recently, the action film, Wrath of Man.
Jocko Willink
Rank: Black Belt
The black belt is a former US Commander turned successful Podcast host, author, and leadership speaker. Jocko is known for his discipline and it’s not surprising he is a BJJ black belt under Dean Lister.
Joe Rogan
Rank: Black Belt
Joe Rogan is one of the most well known advocates for training BJJ. The UFC commentator, comedian and number one podcaster on the planet, Joe has introduced an untold number of folks to Jiu-Jitsu. He is a dedicated martial artist who earned his black belt in 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu under Eddie Bravo and his BJJ black belt under Jean Jacques Machado. He is Taekwondo Black Belt who won multiple state championships and one national championship.
Johnny Strong
Rank: Black Belt
Johnny Strong is an actor and lifelong martial artist. He has trained in Judo, Jeet Kun Do, Boxing, Muay Thai, and Kali-Eskrima. He is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Second degree Black Belt under Chris Lisciandro of Street Sports BJJ. Johnny is an actor that has appeared in Black Hawk Down, Get Carter, The Fast and the Furious, and Sinners and Saints.
Jonathan Lipnicki
Rank: Black Belt
Jonathan is an actor best known for playing the little kid from Jerry Maguire. He trained BJJ for 14 years before earning his black belt from Timothy Bond.
Mark William Calaway
Rank: Black Belt
Mark is a well known personality in the wrestling community. Best known by his WWE stage name, ‘The Undertaker’, Mark has trained BJJ for many years. He earned his black belt in BJJ under Rolles Gracie in 2011.
Pete Loncarevich
Rank: Black Belt
Pistol Pete Loncarevich is a legend in the professional BMX racing community. He earned 17 straight #1 titles. His prime competitive years were from 1980 to 1994.
Rikki Rockett
Rank: Black Belt
The drummer of the legendary band Poison is a third-degree black belt rank under Renato Magno. He has been training since he watched Royce dominate in the early UFCs.
Richard Norton
Rank: Black Belt
Richard has been involved in martial arts since the age of 11. He is an actor and stuntman who has his black belt BJJ under Jean-Jacques Machado.
Sean Patrick Flanery
Rank: Black Belt
Sean Patrick Flanery is a black belt under Shawn Williams and runs Hollywood BJJ. The actor is known for his roles in The Boondock Saints films and Born a Champion.
Scott Caan
Rank: Black Belt
The actor received his black belt in BJJ under of Egon Inoue of Grappling Unlimited. He is well known for his role in the Ocean’s 11 movies and stars in the popular show, Hawaii Five-O.
Vicente Lizarazu
Rank: Black Belt
Vicente is a former professional soccer player on the French national team and is now a TV sports commentator. He earned his black belt in 2019 from Yannick Beven and Ze Marcello.
Celebrity BJJ Practitioners
Whether it was to get in shape, learn skills for a movie, or start BJJ because of their significant other, celebrities have trained for many different reasons.
Here is a list of those famous BJJ practitioners:
Ashton Kutcher
Rank: Brown Belt
Ashton Kutcher is an actor who is well known for his film and TV work in sitcoms such as Two and a Half Men and That 70’s Show. His instructor is the famous celebrity Jiu-Jitsu coach, Rigan Machado.
Charlie Hunnam
Rank: Blue Belt
Charlie Hunnam is an actor and a member of the Rigan Machado crew. He is best known for his roles in Sons of Anarchy and King Arthur. Guy Ritchie, who is a BJJ black belt, was the director of King Arthur in which Charlie starred.
Chris Conrad
Rank: Purple Belt
An actor who trains under Professor Rodrigo Carvalho.
David Bautista
Rank: Purple Belt
Dave Bautista is a WWE star, bodybuilder turned successful film actor. He’s starred in the Guardian of the Galaxy films, Dune, and many others. He trains BJJ with Cesar Gracie.
David Akers
Rank: Unknown
David is a former NFL player who trains in Jiu-Jitsu and Shaolin Kempo.
Demi Lovato
Rank: Blue Belt
The famous singer earned her blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Orlando Sanchez.
Donnie Yen
Rank: Purple Belt
Donnie Yen is a Hong Kong actor, who is also known as Yen Chi Tan. He has starred in a number of marital art action movies. He is well-versed in Tai Chi, Boxing, Kickboxing, Jeet Kune Do, Hapkido, MMA, Taekwondo, Karate, Muay Thai, Wrestling, BJJ, Hung Ga, Sanda, Judo, Wing Chun and Wushu.
Freddie Prinze Jr.
Rank: Purple Belt
Freddie Prinze Jr. is an American actor, writer, and producer. He stated that he is now retired and all he does is “BJJ, surf, and hang out with his kids”. He continues to train with Jean Jacques Machado.
Gisele Bündchen
Rank: White Belt
Gisele recently started training with her new boyfriend, who is a BJJ instructor.
Henry Cavill
Rank: White Belt
Henry Cavill aka Superman is also a practitioner of BJJ. The Witcher star trains with Roger Gracie when in England, and Renzo Gracie in the USA.
Jason Statham
Rank: Purple
Jason is well known for his martial arts skills in movies such as Transformers and Wrath of Man. He’s a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has trained in multiple martial arts disciplines including Wing Chun, Kung Fu, Karate, and kickboxing.
Joey Diaz
Rank: Blue Belt
Joey Diaz is a hilarious comedian and actor. He has been training BJJ on and off for years.
Jonah Hill
Rank: Blue Belt
Jonah is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and vocal advocate of BJJ. He is known for his comedic roles in films and recently directed his own documentary, Stutz.
Keanu Reeves
Rank: White Belt
The star from the John Wick movies, Keanu worked with The Machados during multiple fight scenes. Keanu is also a black belt in Judo. He has been training BJJ under Rigan Machado for years.
Kelly Slater
Rank: Purple Belt
The legendary surfer is a vocal advocate of training BJJ and the 11-time World Surf League champion. He is quoted as stating, “I advise all parents to put their kids in Jiu-Jitsu classes before any other sport.”
Margot Robbie
Rank: White Belt
An actress, Margot trained in Jiu-Jitsu for her role in the movie, Suicide Squad. Before she starred as Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad, she stated she was training Jiu-Jitsu three times a week.
Mario Lopez
Rank: Purple Belt
The actor does Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at Gracie Barra Jiu-Jitsu Academy. He often shares his training on his social media.
Mario Van Peebles
Rank: Blue Belt
An actor, writer, and film director, he earned a blue belt from Ricardo “Rey” Diogo.
Mark-Paul Gosselaar
Rank: Blue Belt
Best known for his role as Zack in Saved by the Bell, Mark has gone on to star in other roles on tv and in movies.
Matt Heafy
Rank: Brown Belt
The rockstar and frontman of the group Trivium has a blue belt in BJJ.
Matty Healy
Rank: White
Matty Healy is the frontman for the British group The 1975.
Maynard James Keenan
Rank: Brown Belt
The lead singer of the bands Tool and A Perfect Circle, he trains in BJJ under Rickson Gracie.
Mel Gibson
Rank: Purple Belt
Mel Gibson has trained Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu BJJ under Rorian Gracie since the first Lethal Weapon film in the 1980s.
Michael Dudikoff
Rank: Blue Belt
Michael is an actor and martial artist. He has trained in karate, aikido, judo, and BJJ. He began his training in BJJ under Rorian Gracie and continues to train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with Rigan Machado.
Mickey Rourke
Rank: Blue Belt
An actor and boxer, Mickey Rourke trained Jiu-Jitsu under Eddie Bravo black belt, Scott Epstein.
Millie Bobby Brown
Rank: White
The young star is best known for her role in Stanger Things and Enola Holmes. She has been training under black belt Trevor Chamberlain for years and also practices MMA. She has stated that she is aware that the need for BJJ training is a must for action roles.
Naomi Watts
Rank: White
The famous actress has trained Judo for years and actually competed in amateur Judo championships from 1989 to 1992. It’s not surprising that the English actress is said to be currently training in BJJ.
Prince Jackson
Rank: Blue Belt
The eldest son of pop star Michael Jackson is a practitioner of Jiu-Jitsu and trains at Gracie Academy Beverly Hills, Los Angeles in California. He trains with Rener and Ryron Gracie on a regular basis, and they report that he is an “extremely dedicated and attentive student.”
Rebel Wilson
Rank: White Belt
Rebel Wilson is a well-known Australian actress, writer, and producer. She started BJJ as part of her fitness journey.
Robert Duvall
Rank: White Belt
The movie legend and his wife Luciana have taken Jiu-Jitsu lessons with
Master Pedro Sauer. He has also been seen training with Rigan Machado.
Russell Peters
Rank: Blue Belt
Russell Peters is a Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, and producer. He even used his BJJ to stop a jewelry thief.
Russell Brand
Rank: Purple Belt
The comedian and actor is said to be quite the wizard on the mat. Russell is very vocal about how BJJ changed his life and often shares updates on his journey.
Scarlett Johansson
Rank: White Belt
The actress trained with Rigan Machado in preparation for her role as the Black Widow in the popular “Marvel” films. The beautiful actress started training BJJ for her movie role, but ended up continuing to train after the movie. She has attributed her looks and physical shape to BJJ.
Scott Eastwood
Rank: Purple Belt
Scott is an actor who stared in Wrath of Man and the Fast and Furious films. He is the son of movie legend Clint Eastwood.
Shaquille O’Neal
Rank: Purple Belt
Shaq is a well-known former NBA basketball star and a long-time fan of the UFC. He has been training BJJ since 2000 under Royce Gracie.
Theodore Roosevelt
Rank: Unknown
The 26th President of the United States from 1901 to 1909, studied Jiu-Jitsu and judo. “Wrestling is simply a sport with rules almost as conventional as those of tennis, while jiu jitsu is really meant for practice in killing or disabling our adversary.“
Tom Hardy
Rank: Blue Belt
Tom Hardy is an actor well known for his roles in Mad Max and as Venom. He is also an active competitor and made international news last year when he won first place in his blue belt division. The star is said to have found a love for BJJ after starring in the MMA movie, Warrior.
Tommy Lee
Rank: White Belt
The drummer from the infamous Mötley Crüe band, Tommy Lee, trains BJJ under the Gracie Family. He even trained with Helio Gracie himself.
Tori Spelling
Rank: White
Tori Spelling is an actress best known for her role in the Beverly Hills 90210 TV series. She started training under Jean Jacques Machacho.
Vin Diesel
Rank: Blue Belt
Vin Diesel is an actor who has starred in Triple X and Fast and Furious films. He also trains on the mats of Beverly Hills Jiu-Jitsu.
Vince Vaughn
Rank: Blue Belt
Vince Vaughn is an actor known for his comedic work in The Wedding Crashers and Dodgeball. Vaughn is now a student at the Gracie academy in Torrance, California, with Ryron and Rener Gracie.
Usher
Rank: White Belt
Usher is a musician who has trained with BJJ with Andre Galvao. Usher is also a close personal friend of Anderson Silva.
Wesley Snipes
Rank: White Belt
Wesley Snipes is a well-known actor who holds black belts in multiple disciplines of martial arts. This includes a fifth-dan black belt in Shotokan Karate and a second-degree black belt in Hapkido. He has trained BJJ on and off with Rigan Machado.
Wiz Khalifa
Rank: White Belt
Wiz Khalifa is a Grammy-nominated rap star who has trained BJJ with none other than Rigan Machado.
Celebrity BJJ Practitioners Who Have Passed Away
BJJ touched the lives of so many. Unfortunately, there have been more than a couple of celebrities that have passed away that trained in BJJ. Here is a list of those celebrities:
Anthony Bourdain
Rank: Blue Belt
Anthony Bourdain is a beloved late chef, author, and tv host. He had a deep affection for food, people, travel, and later in life BJJ. He spoke about his passion for Jiu-Jitsu on the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast.
Michael Clarke Duncan
Rank: Purple Belt
Michael Duncan was an actor who famously starred in The Green Mile. He was a huge fan of the UFC and a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He trained at the Gracie Academy in Torrance, CA.
Paul Walker
Rank: Black Belt
Paul Walker was an actor who is best known for his role in the Fast and Furious films. He tragically died in a car accident back in 2013. He was a brown belt at the time of his death. He was awarded his black belt posthumously by Ricardo Franjinha Miller of Paragon Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Steve Irvin
Rank: White Belt
Steve, better known by his famous nickname “The Crocodile Hunter“, was an Australian zookeeper, conservationist, and television personality. He trained BJJ with Dan Higgins and Kyle Noke and its said he was nearly impossible to get off when he was in top position.
Celebrities Rumored to Train (but no real evidence)
There are a lot of rumors swirling around the internet these days. This list includes celebs that are rumored to have trained BJJ, but there is no solid evidence to back these claims.
Here is your list of the rumored celebrity BJJ list (but no real evidence):
Ice–T
Rank: ?
The famous rapper and actor is a big fan of the UFC. It is rumored he is also a long-time practitioner of BJJ and boxing. There is no evidence of Ice-T ever training.
Jim Carrey
Rank: ?
The well-known comedian is rumored to be a brown belt in BJJ under Royce Gracie. There is no evidence of Jim ever training.
Milla Jovovich
Rank: ?
Milla starred in The Fifth Element, Return to the Blue Lagoon, and the Resident Evil trilogy where she completed most of her own stunts. She has trained in many martial arts throughout her life, including Taekwondo and Wushu. It is rumored that she is now completely focused on Jiu-Jitsu. There is no evidence to collaborate this.
Nicolas Cage
Rank: ?
An actor started in the movie Jiu Jitsu that really didn’t have any Jiu-Jitsu in it. It is rumored that he can really roll on the mat and trains BJJ under Royce Gracie. There is no evidence of Nicolas Cage training real BJJ.
Robert Downey Jr.
Rank: ?
Iron Man is said to have trained Jiu-Jitsu. He did use Wing Chun to help fight drug addiction, but there is no evidence of him training BJJ.