Travis Stevens receives his black belt from John Danaher. Instagram: @judosilencer
Travis Stevens is now a double black belt. His accomplishments as a black belt in judo have earned him many prestigious titles making him one of the best judo athletes in the world. He now wears a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu since receiving the promotion from John Danaher at GMA Renzo Gracie Academy in New York City on Nov. 19.
Travis tested his skills against black belts while still a brown belt at the Copa Podio Middleweight GP back in September and missed the podium by one defeat. He again was thrown into a grand prix of black belts at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo earlier this month where he had similar results.
Regarding his promotion he says:
“I shouldn’t even have my black belt right now. It’s funny the only reason I have it is because I missed my flight to Abu Dhabi and couldn’t leave until the next day. I’m really very happy that I received my black belt from John [Danaher] and Renzo [Gracie]. There is no one else I would have accepted it from. I really look up to both of those guys a lot and hope to one day be on their level. I feel like since receiving my black belt my BJJ journey has begun. I never understood the need to compete as a brown or purple belt especially at the Worlds or Pans because you can’t become a world champion without a black belt. But now that I have my new rank it means I can take on the best the BJJ world has to offer and I’m ready for the challenge and excited to prove it. This is only the beginning!”
