Maynard James Keenan has just got his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. His training mate Ty Gay shared the news through Instagram on January 6. Under a photo of him and Keenan, Gay wrote:
“Congratulations to my friend, training partner, and sometimes nemesis, Maynard James Keenan, on the monumental task of receiving his Black Belt today. Was an amazing event, with a bunch of truly amazing people. Today, Jiu-Jitsu became just a little bit better.”
The Tool vocalist himself took to Instagram to celebrate this achievement. He posted a picture showing his new black belt alongside a bottle of wine from his own Caduceus Cellars, tagging everyone who supported him through his training:
“New Chapter. Thank you all for helping me write the previous.”
We know that some world-renowned actors and fighters hold black belts in Jiu-Jitsu, with prominent figures like Joe Rogan and Chuck Norris among them. With this latest development, it wouldn’t be absurd to suggest that Maynard could potentially face off against these two.
His Last Milestone Was Around Two Years Ago
Back in November 2021, Keenan reached another important milestone in jiu-jitsu by earning his brown belt. This promotion placed him just one step away from the black belt, as Maui Jiu-Jitsu Academy owner Luis’ Limão’ Herédia awarded him.
The brown belt came to the 59-year-old after years of training – typically five years. A Hawaiian jiu-jitsu trainer named Chief Limao announced this on social media by sharing him in a fighting pose and writing, ‘True warrior there.’
Keenan’s History With His Jiu-Jitsu Skills
Keenan’s journey in jiu-jitsu started in the 1990s, as ABC News Radio Online reported in 2015. As he also received his blue and purple belts from Herédia, the singer showed off his skills a few times through the years.
During a 1997 show at the Astoria Theater in the UK, the Tool member welcomed an angry fan jumping on stage with a headlock and pinned him to the ground effortlessly. Despite that, he once described training for jiu-jitsu as a ‘humbling’ experience.
The Singer’s Thoughts On Jiu-Jitsu
The frontman also mentioned his passion for the martial art while explaining what attracted him to it in a chat with the ‘Joe Rogan Experience’ podcast. He revealed:
“It’s [jiu-jitsu] the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life; it’s the hardest. It’s the most… I’m getting snowflakey weepy. It’s not something that you are handed. You have to do the work to get it. And I had so many injuries over the years. So much distance from this thing, and I’m such a stubborn prick that I have — I’ve started the thing, and I’m gonna finish this thing. So that’s where I’m at with jiu-jitsu. And it’s not something that you can be handed.”
