Enlistment is up in Old Man Jitsu, and now the esteemed global fighting force populated by worldly experience, gnarled and perilously strong hands, and herniated L4/L5 discs has a new, famous, member: Academy Award nominee Mel Gibson.
Gibson was outed as an old man jiujiteiro by Rigan Michado after a training session which included MMA icon Vitor Belfort.
The actor, now 63, is best known for leading onscreen battles against the forces of evil in films like Braveheart, Mad Max, and Lethal Weapons I-III. A recovering addict, the sometimes controversial Hollywood figure in just the latest in a growing list of those in recovery, including Russell Brand and Demi Lovato, to use BJJ to keep their minds and bodies in on the straight and narrow.
Watch out if you see Gibson in the Masters division–he may be approaching retirement age, but he’s rich enough to have gotten those sweet Panamanian stem cells already.
Kimberly, Mel Gibson is an Academy Award winner for Braveheart. He won best director and the movie also won best picture. Go Mel!