Craig Willey 🇺🇸
White Mountain Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA ClubAshland, United States of America27 years on the mats
139 profile views · Last seen 6 month(s) ago
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About
- Training since first belt27 year(s) and 9 month(s)
- Medals1
1
0
0
- LocationAshland, NH, United States of America
- AcademyWhite Mountain Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA Club Unclaimed
- AffiliationBJJ Globetrotters
- Member sinceMay 20215 years on Beltchecker.com
Lineage
- Carlson Gracie Sr.
- Julio "Foca" Fernandez (also Royce Gracie for Blue Belt but moved)
- Me (I know the history, but I'm only including the living people I actually trained with to simplify.
Bio
BJJ Black Belt, started training in BJJ in 1999 and earned first blue belt with Royce Gracie, second blue belt from Carlson Gracie Senior and Julio "Foca Fernandez", then promoted up through 2nd degree blackbelt under Professor Fernandez in 2015.
Achievements
7 of 19 unlockedName verified by credit card
Coach with confirmed students
Profile manually reviewed & certificate issued
Current rank verified by promoting instructor
Verifications received16 / 25
102550
Years trained27
5101520
Gold medals1 / 5
51025
Competition matches0 / 10
1050100
Forum posts0 / 500
5001,000
Students
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Belt promotions
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Gallery
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The original "Women's" BJJ class!
No gi day with Shawn Melanson, a fellow New Hampshirite who has brought high level no-gi training to the area.
My good friend Russell Powers and many of the current students at Russel's seminar at our school in Ashland.
The pioneer White Mt BJJ kids class. The youngest here is now going on 15. The oldest is 22. Some great all around athletes in here also and some college and semi-pro athletes came out of this group.
Rodrigo Medeiros and Julio Fernandez back in my BJJ Team Revolution days. Both had a huge impact on my learning and teaching.Promotion history
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- 1 year, 7 months, 1 day
Black belt 4th degree Current belt
March 12, 2025
(Promotion by time served)
- 5 years
Black belt 3rd degree
March 12, 2020
(Promotion by time served)
The late Professor John Sanders confirmed this.
- 5 years, 2 months, 11 days
Black belt 2nd degree
January 1, 2015Chaos BJJ, Concord, N.H.
Promoted byProf. Julio "Foca" Fernandez
- 9 months, 20 days
Black belt 1st degree
March 12, 2014
(Promotion by time served)
I was promoted to BJJ Black Belt two stripes later by Professor Julio "Foca" Fernandez because of years passed.
- 3 years
Black belt
March 12, 2011603 BJJ in Claremont, NH
Promoted byJulio "Foca" FernandezI noticed a discrepancy on my Black Belt certificate. The Certificate was date January 2010, but I was actually promoted officially (in person) just over 2 months later as you can see on time stamp in the photo.
- 4 years, 2 months, 11 days
Brown belt
January 1, 2007Burlington, Vermont
Promoted byJulio "Foca" FernandezExtreme approximation. But, I earned my black belt in March of 2011 so it makes sense. I base a lot of this on when I was teaching and at what location. The pictures below of are me with Prof. Sauer and Prof. Rickson Gracie just before earning my black belt in 2010.
- 2 years
Purple belt
January 1, 2005Burlington, Vermont
Promoted byJulio FernandezThis is an extreme approximation. I know I competed as a purple belt in 2006, I think this was just before my brown belt promotion. still looking for photos. I didn't even have a phone that took pictures at that point, lol. I have photos of me wearing a purple belt, but nothing dated.
- 5 years
Blue belt
January 1, 2000Fort Myers, Florida: Started training through Frank Cook and Chad Denton, earned my blue belt from Royce Gracie in Fort Meyers Florida during a two day seminar.
Promoted byRoyce Gracie then Carlson Gracie with Julio FernandezPromoted later by Carlson Gracie Senior and Julio Fernandez also, about 6 months later. AGAIN, I could even be wrong with the years. But, I was competing a ton during these years and won Naga New Englands, 2nd at Montreal Open, won UVM Open, and competed at lots of other tournaments such as the BJJ Black Fly Open in Maine and etc...Only IBJJF then was in California I believe.
- 1 year
White belt
January 1, 1999Rutland, Vermont-Vermont Martial Arts and Academy-Gulf Coast Aiki-Jitsu Academy (Royce Gracie Affiliate, Instructor Frank Cook)
Started training through Frank Cook and Chad Denton, earned my blue belt from Royce Gracie in Fort Meyers Florida during a two day seminar.
Votes received for current rank
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"No doubt - Legit"
"Good evidence and lineage. Inconsistent time between BB and 2:nd degree, but evened out later. Also a few months after jan 2010 would still be 2010, so the diploma must have a date more than a year early, but better errors in that direction. (March 2011 BB deom Julio "Foca" Fernandez)"
"Legit profile congrats on the stripe"
"Congratulations "
"Good and complete profile. And the time served ads up. Congrats!"
"vouched for by a black belt that I know and trust, lots of evidence"
"Progression aligns with time-in-belt norms overall (white 1999 → black 2011, 12 years). White Mountain Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA Club’s “About” page says he earned his BJJ black belt under Júlio "Foca" Fernandez, and a YouTube upload from the Vermont Open (April 7, 2012) labels him “BJJ Revolution Team Black Belt,” consistent with a 2011 promotion. BJJ Heroes describes Foca as a 6th-degree black belt promoted to black belt in 1988, implying he was comfortably ≥2nd-degree by 2011 (eligible to promote). Legit!"
"Legit"
"Well supported, lots of evidence."
"I don't know Craig, but there seems to be enough evidence to verify rank. :)"
Medals
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Grapplers Quest: U.S. Nationals
May 2006
