#BJJ Journey to Black Belt for #AlexOLoughlin (Speech Transcript)

Last month Alex received his Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from Renzo Gracie in Las Vegas at the ADCC World Championship event.

Video:

This is the transcript of his speech after he received the belt from Renzo.

Alex: I don’t know what to say. All of my training partners. Everyone who’s been a part of my journey

– Cobrinha, I love you.

(Picture of Rubens ‘Cobrinha’ Charles demonstrating moves)

Alex: – Roger, I love you.

(Picture Roger Gracie)

Alex: – All of you guys, man. Halfway, thank you.

And this [Renzo Gracie] …. animal .

(Picture of Renzo and Royler Gracie)

Alex: He’s  not here tonight, but I have to say, with all of my heart and all of my love, thank you to Egan Inoue for the first … first 10 years of my journey. [applause]

Renzo: And by the way, the motherfucker [Egan] beat me in Abu Dhabi …. Can you believe it?

Alex: I can’t even look at these, it kills me. 

And this man [Rodrigo Gracie]… and this man has taken me over the line and into the future.

Alex: I don’t know what to say …. Look

…. It’s one of the only things that I understand to be a purely solitary venture that requires everyone. All of us do this journey alone, in here [own hearts] but we support each other here [the mat].

I don’t know what else to say…..

[Joking] The belt’s too big. [Laughs all around]

Renzo: Got to gain a little weight. You’ve got the be like this [Showing his own stomach]

Alex: Thank you, thank you, thank you – it’s an honour.

Renzo: One time this guy told me something – his whole life he was an actor, that’s his case. You know, he told me, “In reality, I thought I was an actor who did jiu-jitsu, but in reality, I’m a jiu-jitsu man who did acting”. So that’s him.

In his speech, Alex thank a number of people, and a number of them featured regularly at seminars and fights he attended on his journey over the past 11 years.

Let us recap some of those moments ….

• After Alex started his training with Egan Inoue in 2011, he took a record-breaking time at Egan’s gym to move through his white belt stripes …..

• Egan writes: (24 May 2012) Tegan has Alex O’lochlan’s 4th degree strips in his belt. Recond time 4 stripes for Grappling Unlimited.

• Alex received his Blue Belt in July 2012 from Egan at Grappling Unlimited.

(Picture of Alex, Rodrigo & Royce Gracie and David James Elliot (of Jag))

– Posted on 18 May 2013 by Rodrigo Gracie

(Alex meet Rubens ‘Cobrinha’ Charles at his seminar in November 2013)

• On 15 August 2015, Alex received his Purple Belt from Egan.

• On 18 May 2019, Alex received his Brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from Egan.

In 21 Dec 2019 Egan wrote: Thank you @renzograciebjj for alway teaching me something new! I will never forget when Renzo and I trained in Brazil at Barra Gracie Rio when I was a blue belt. He didn’t make me tap once but you took me from one submission let me escape to the next submission let me escape to the next submission and he kept doing that to me over and over again. That was the best gift that any jujitsu instructor has ever given me. I learned so much and I’ve always train that way. You taught me something then and still till this day. Thank you Renzo for being my BJJ mentor.

• On 17 September 2022 Alex received his Black Belt from Renzo Gracie.

Pictures from the video:

Take a look inside the ADCC Hall of Fame Seminar with too many legends to count!

• Alex and Kaleb from Inferno Cast watching while Royler Gracie demonstrates some moves at the seminar ….

What a wonderful journey for Alex …..