Fake Black Belt Exposed: Investigating the Legitimacy of a 6th Degree BJJ Black Belt

In this blog post, I'll be exposing the truth behind the sudden emergence of a 6th degree black belt named Rasiman in the Indonesian BJJ community.

As a practitioner of the gentle art and a journalist, I was taken aback when I first heard the news of Rasiman's supposed ranking.

It's a story that needs to be told, a scandal that needs to be uncovered, and a mystery that needs to be solved.

BJJ is still a new martial art in Indonesia, it was only brought to the country in the mid-2000s by a few students who studied the art while in college in the US.

These pioneers have been instrumental in building the BJJ community in Indonesia, and yet none of them have reached such a high rank as a 6th degree black belt.

It's a fact that raises many questions, and that's why I decided to revisit my old investigative journalist side and investigated into the matter.

The purpose of this investigation is to look into Rasiman's credentials and how he got to be a 6th degree black belt.

As a passionate member of the BJJ community, I'll be approaching this investigation with an objective and critical eye, but also with a sense of curiosity.

This is not only an investigation, but also an exploration of the BJJ community in Indonesia, its history, and its future.

To understand the context of Rasiman's supposed 6th degree black belt, it's crucial to delve into the history of BJJ in Indonesia.

The journey of how BJJ came to be in Indonesia is an intriguing one.

BJJ made its way to Indonesia in the mid-2000s, brought over by a few Indonesian students who had studied the art while in college in the United States.

These pioneers played a vital role in introducing BJJ to Indonesia and nurturing the community.

One of the most notable pioneers is Deddy Wigraha, who is considered the father of BJJ in Indonesia and also happens to be my professor.

Deddy, who is now a third degree black belt, started teaching BJJ in Indonesia in the mid 2000s when he was still a purple belt and since then he has been actively promoting the sport in Indonesia.

He is also the president of the Indonesian Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (FBJJI).

Another notable pioneer is Niko Han, who is the owner of Synergy MMA, one of the oldest and most influential MMA gyms in the country.

Niko lives and coaches in Bali and was also one of the first Indonesians to introduce BJJ in Indonesia.

Other pioneers include Hardian Kristiady, whose team is well known for their leg lock game, and Fransino Tirta, the first locally-produced Indonesian BJJ black belt, who received his black belt from Niko in 2013.

These pioneers, and many others like them, have been instrumental in building the BJJ community in Indonesia, and their dedication and passion have helped to establish BJJ as a respected martial art in the country.

Today, the BJJ community in Indonesia continues to grow, with more and more people discovering the benefits of the art.

It's important to note that these pioneers are still active and none of them have reached the rank of the 4th degree black belt let alone a 6th degree status.

This is a fact that raises questions about Rasiman's supposed ranking, and it's something that we'll be looking into further as I continue my investigation.

As the investigation of Rasiman's supposed 6th degree black belt continues, it's time to delve into the process of investigating his credentials.

The journey began when my professor, Prof. Deddy, shared a screenshot of an Instagram post that shows Rasiman receiving his certification.

I have included the screenshot in here for you, readers, to see for yourself:

The translation of the Instagram post caption is as follows:

"Congratulation sihan Rasiman for the certification of 6th degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under CBJJP. May Jiu Jitsu Nusantara (his team's name) keep moving forward."

Now, I immediately thought that the first step was to verify the legitimacy of the federation that awarded Rasiman his 6th degree black belt, which is the Confederação Brasileira de Jiu-jitsu Profissional (CBJJP).

A quick search on the internet revealed that CBJJP is a Brazil-based Brazilian Jiu Jitsu federation that certifies belts to practitioners, similar to the more well-known and established International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (IBJJF).

The CBJJP website is at https://www.cbjjp.com/ and they actually provide a Whatsapp contact link for you to chat with them.

I decided to contact the federation directly by Whatsapp to inquire about their belt certification system.

I present the screenshot of the chat for the readers:

After several hours, the CBJJP responded that for international certification applications, I should visit the International Profesional jiu-jitsu federation (IPJJF), which is the english/international version of the CBJJP website.

In the response, the CBJJP also said that people who want to be certified need to prove their black belt promotion by providing official promotion documents from their instructors.

Upon visiting the IPJJF website, I was very surprised to find out that it is very easy to receive a black belt certification by just paying the federation hundreds of dollars.

The federation also stated that if one cannot provide official promotion documents from their instructor, a mere statement from their gym or students is more than enough!

You can see an example price list of black belt certifications in the screenshot below.

The higher the rank, the more dollars you need to pay to CBJJP/IPJJF.

The CBJJP/IPJJF tries to appear legitimate by certifying legends in the BJJ community such as Relson Gracie, Murilo Bustamante, and Ricardo de la Riva.

They even feature photos of these legends' certification ceremonies on their website, but this does not necessarily mean anything as these legends are already recognized by the much more credible International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF).

It's also worth mentioning that the abbreviation of IPJJF is very similar to that of the IBJJF, and this can cause confusion among the less experienced or naive members of the BJJ community.

The IBJJF is widely recognized as the most credible and reputable federation in the BJJ community, and it's important to ensure that any black belts or certifications are recognized by the IBJJF or other reputable organizations.

Now, back to this 6th degree black belt named Rasiman.

It appears that Rasiman did not need to spend years of training BJJ and be officially certified by a legitimate BJJ black belt to become a 6th degree black belt.

All he needed to do was pay CBJJP/IPJJF hundreds of dollars with the basis of a mere statement from his gym that he is a black belt!

This revelation is not only a blow to the integrity and credibility of the BJJ community in Indonesia, but it also calls into question the legitimacy of Rasiman's supposed ranking.

It is clear that the CBJJP/IPJJF is a sketchy federation that sells black belt certifications and stripes for money, rather than recognizing the hard work and dedication of true practitioners of the art.

Basically, Rasiman is a fake BJJ black belt.

This guy may have trained traditional Japanese jiu jitu for a long time but he is not a BJJ black belt because both arts are different from one another.

Rasiman received his certification from the sketchy federation CBJJP/IPJJF, which is known for selling black belt certifications and stripes for money.

It's clear that the BJJ community in Indonesia needs to be vigilant and critical when evaluating the credentials of high-ranking practitioners.

To prevent similar situations from happening in the future, the Indonesian BJJ community should only recognize black belts and certifications that are recognized by reputable organizations, such as the IBJJF.

Together, we can ensure that the integrity and credibility of the BJJ community in Indonesia remains intact.

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