In celebration of his lifelong dear friend, Valentino Morales receiving his black belt at the hands of Alberto Crane, Fast and the Furious actor Vin Diesel made a special guest appearance at Legacy Jiu-Jitsu’s belt ceremony this past weekend. There was a collective buzz in the room as Vin took the stage to say some words to honor his friend, both of them New York natives, flanked by BJJ/MMA legends Fabiano Iha, Mark Kerr, and Ricco Rodriguez. Perhaps not so coincidentally, Crane’s jiu-jitsu school in Burbank is a mere few miles from Universal Pictures where the Fast and the Furious franchise is produced.
According to Vin’s speech, the two grew up in the streets of New York and worked as bouncers at a nightclub before Vin’s career took off. He admits that back in the day they had a lot of heart but did not have any actual skills. Upon learning about an armbar submission, Vin’s was blown away and forever became enamored with the art. The speech is deferential towards black belts, having achieved such a milestone that Diesel himself admits he may never achieve. Diesel is reportedly a blue belt that has taken a break from the training given his busy, albeit highly successful acting career.
A big congratulations are due to Valentino as well as all the other Legacy students that were promoted this past Saturday. Watch Vin Diesel’s full speech in commemoration of his friend below:
