ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong was present in the organization’s milestone event in the United States this past weekend, but little did he know that he will celebrate for himself as well.

At ONE 168: Denver last Friday on U.S. primetime, Sityodtong received his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt from a legend of the sport Renzo Gracie. The ONE chief was visibly surprised to see Gracie approaching him while speaking with color commentator Mitch Chilson during the broadcast.

Chatri Sityodtong earns black belt from Renzo Gracie in a heartfelt ceremony

He turned emotional as the BJJ legend showed him the black belt and proceeded to playfully slap the belt on his back as a mini-ceremony for his achievement. Sityodtong shared how he started training in Gracie’s gym in 2005 and credited the Brazilian for being instrumental in the early days of ONE Championship.

“Today, he confirmed he was a black belt. You know what he told me? What really matters is you guys sitting here in support of this amazing sport,” Gracie said. On Instagram, Sityodtong shared his moments from his memorable weekend and expressed his happiness in being awarded his black belt.

“Master Renzo Gracie gave me the biggest surprise this past weekend, promoting me to black belt during the ONE 168 live global broadcast. Without a doubt, earning a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has long been one of my biggest dreams in life,” he wrote.

Sityodtong champions submission grappling and elevating the sport

Apart from leading the world’s largest martial arts organization, Sityodtong also trains in martial arts. Despite his busy schedule, he finds time to roll with some of the finest grapplers in the world to hone his skills and practice the sport he has grown so passionate about.

In fact, his passion led him to include submission grappling to the martial arts disciplines being showcased in ONE Championship. He put a spotlight on the sport by reeling in young world-class talents in Mikey Musumeci, Kade, and Tye Ruotolo, as well as Danielle Kelly, among others. Since they joined the promotion in 2022, the sport has grown exponentially with other organizations getting more attention from mainstream media.

What he has done for the sport both on the mats and off of it certainly makes him worthy of a black belt – the highest common belt in the sport. We applaud and congratulate Chatri for this honor!