KOTA KINABALU: A Malaysian woman exponent created history when she was accorded with the coveted Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) black belt in the United States recently.
Angie Bartholomew, from Tuaran, Sabah, earned the title at the Evolution MMA Academy in Naples, Florida, over the weekend in a simple upgrading ceremony, a first for Malaysian woman.
The belt comes with the title "Professor" among practitioners of the martial arts which Angie first took up 14 years ago here before moving to the US where she now resides.
She confided to having plans of returning to Malaysia and hopes to pursue a career of coaching, training advanced practitioners of BJJ, which is gaining popularity in the country.
Any such plans would have to be postponed for now though, Angie said, referring to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"I did not expect to be awarded the black belt and was caught off guard during the grading ceremony.
"I've been through sweat, blood and tears during the years of practicing in the sport which is dominated by male practitioners… the surprise promotion was indeed very rewarding."
Angie encouraged Malaysian girls to take up BJJ to equip themselves with the art of self-defence and a way to staying healthy as it requires the usage of every muscle in the body including one's mental strength.
BJJ is often considered a contact sport that focuses more on submission grappling techniques in a fight allowing a smaller and lighter person to fight a bigger and heavier person.