This post is a blast from the past, but nevertheless credit must be given where credit is due.
In 2010 Orange County Jiu-Jitsu instructor Oliver Haller proved that he was ready for his BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) purple belt by taking 3rd on the podium at the no-gi Mundials (World Championships). The top IBJJF (International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation) Pan Americans (Pan Ams), World Championships, and No-Gi World Championships, are arguably the 3 toughest tournaments in the world. Competitors fly in from all over the United States and the rest of the world in hopes to establish themselves among the best in the world in their division. Medaling in one of these tournaments provides a strong argument that a practitioner is ready for promotion to the next belt. As the joke goes, “what do you call a blue belt who wins the Worlds? A purple belt.”
World class Jiu-Jitsu in Orange County is only world class with verifiable credentials!
Oliver followed up his bronze performance a few months later in early 2011 with a silver medal at the Abu Dhabi Pro Cup Trials in Las Vegas and was promoted immediately after.