Brown belt phenom Pedro Marinho and his wife Victoria Montrezor have officially been promoted to black belt.
The couple, who have been together for five years and six months, were promoted by their coach, Ulpiano Malachias at Gracie Barra Westchase in Texas.
Both new black belts shared the good news on social media:
“Black belt! Today I look back and think: My God, what a crazy journey. Jiu jitsu changed my life, gave me a purpose. Through it I created friendships and strong bonds, I lived incredible things and I know that God prepared even bigger things for me to live.
I once heard a teacher say that over time, jiu jitsu gets easier. But I found out that this was not true. We are the ones who get stronger, more resilient, wiser. I would often leave training crying, with the certainty that this was not for me. And many times I heard that this was not for me. But the next day I would wake up and say: “I will try just one more time”. And I keep trying every day, taking it one step at a time. Making mistakes, learning, overcoming myself and getting to know myself.
Thank you @tio_rei for always believing and getting the best of me.
Thanks @pianojiujitsu for all the support and teaching, it is an honor to receive this belt from you.
Thank you to everyone who has already shared the mat with me, you are part of this achievement.
And thank you, God, for so much ❤️”
For Marinho, the promotion comes on the heels of two straight victories at Fight 2 Win against elite black belts Gabriel Almeida and Matheus Luna. Marinho has long been known for his reputation for defeating black belts, collecting wins over names like Johnny Tama, Roberto Jimenez, Oliver Taza, and Jason Rau during his time as a brown belt. An ADCC veteran, he won the JitzKing Middleweight Championship last year and put himself to the test at multiple F2W and 3rd Coast Grappling events. He’ll be making his black belt competitive debut during F2W 167 on March 20 against Jake Watson.
Montrezor is no stranger to the competition scene either, earning gold at the IBJJF Houston Open last year. Prior to that, she stepped up to compete at 3CG: Kumite 7 at the last minute.
Congratulations to both athletes on this massive achievement!
