Famous actor, Mario Lopez, known for his role in ‘Saved By The Bell’ has just been promoted to purple belt by his coach, Robert Hill. Lopez started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2017 and was awarded his blue belt in 2018 at Gracie Barra also from Robert Hill.
The TV star has recently been seen competing (and winning) at several tournaments this year. Back in August, Lopez put on a strong performance at the IBJJF Phoenix Open, where he came away with a gold medal in the Master 4 blue belt Lightweight division.
Competing with His Son
However, Lopez is no stranger to competing in martial arts tournaments, as he was heavily involved in both wrestling and boxing throughout his youth. The 49-year-old is deservingly working his way up the ranks, just like everybody else. Earlier on in the year, in February, Lopez made headlines by competing alongside his son, after his son asked him to, and he won gold there too.
“When your son asks you to compete in the same tournament as him, you do it. You’re never too old to challenge your yourself & set goals… Thank you to all the homies who helped get us ready!”
Lopez is known for being very vocal about his passion for BJJ, like many other celebrities such as Russell Brand and Joe Rogan, however the one thing that sets Lopez apart from the others celebs who practice the sport is the fact he competes. Celebrities have many reasons not to compete in intense sport competitions, but actors like Lopez and Tom Hardy are some of the few exceptions.
Lopez shared the good news on his Instagram:
This purple belt has been a fun ride… Thank you to my Professors & training partners for elevating my game! JiuJitsu #NextLevel #OnToTheNextOne
Industry professionals congratulate Lopez
Amongst many others, BJJ legends both Rener Gracie and Gordon Ryan congratulated the star on his well-deserved promotion. Gracie says:
“Less than 1% ever earn their white belt, and of those who do, less than 1% ever reach purple. Congratulations bro!”
Ryan says:
“Congrats to my buddy Mario Lopez on his well deserved purple belt today. Things are getting serious now. Excited to see him in purple belt divisions now somehow in the master 14 division even though he looks like he’s 26.”
Congratulations Mario, and good luck with the rest of your BJJ journey!
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