Rigan Machado Receives His Red Belt | Erik Paulson Receives Coral. And Some.

April 10 at the CSW World Conference felt like one of those days where the timeline of jiu-jitsu folded in on itself.

The morning started with recognition.
The evening ended with legacy.

And somewhere in between, you could feel exactly where the art has been… and where it’s going.

Coral Belts Set the Tone

The day started with a meditation session, lead by the host himself Erik Paulson. Paulson then relinquished the reigns to Rigan Machado who went over a few techniques Paulson was brought forward and awarded his coral belt. Alongside him, longtime practitioners Casey, Rick Minter, Rick Williams, and Chris Woznicki were also recognized and awarded their coral belts.

This was a showcase of decades on the mat. The kind of people who helped build jiu-jitsu in the U.S. before it was mainstream. Before there were systems, and the infrastructure of today to support anything.

Congratulations to all the newly minted coral belts, and thank you for leading the charge and maintaining a presence in the community that has grown into the growth that it is today and the opportunities that will continue to develop.

Rigan Machado Receives His Red Belt

After a brief intermission and a little "impromptu open mat", Rorion Gracie surprised the room and stepped in to present Rigan Machado with his red belt.