BJJ News — rigan-machado

Here's what everyone saw: Ashton Kutcher on The Tonight Show in January 2026, doing a textbook sweep while Jimmy Fallon laughed and the audience applauded for thirty seconds. Quick demo, quick joke (Kutcher said Machado gave him the belt "out of pity" for his age), quick pivot to whatever celebrity

On Saturday, April 25, IBJJF founder Carlos Gracie Jr. received his ninth-degree red belt at the Gracie Barra 40th anniversary summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Six years at brown belt. That's Ashton Kutcher's number.

Three weeks ago, on April 10, Rigan Machado walked into the Combat Submission Wrestling World Conference in Los Angeles and walked out a 9th-degree red belt. Rorion Gracie tied it on him.

March 2026 was, among other things, the month the BJJ community decided to audit every martial arts credential in existence. Senator Markwayne Mullin told a congressional staffer he was a "black belt world champion" who defeated a Gracie at Worlds.

Rorion Gracie promoted Rigan Machado to 9th-degree red belt at the CSW World Conference on April 10. The IBJJF's own database had listed Machado — a Pan Am champion, ADCC medalist, and 40-year veteran — as just a 3rd-degree black belt.