Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
Tool’s frontman Maynard James Keenan earns Jiu-Jitsu black belt
Tool‘s vocalist Maynard James Keenan has earned his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Congratulations to my friend, training partner, and sometimes nemesis @iamthebriefcase on the monumental task of receiving his Black Belt today,” fellow jiu-jitsu black belt Ty Gay commented in an Instagram post on January 6. “Was an amazing event, with a bunch of truly amazing people. Today, Jiu-Jitsu became just a little bit better.”
In November 2021, Keenan reached a major milestone in the martial art when he was awarded his brown belt, putting him just one promotion away from the coveted black belt.
Although there are plenty of famous faces working their way up the belt ranks at the moment, jiu-jitsu seems to be incredibly popular in heavy music. Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine was promoted to brown belt in BJJ last year and has been training for almost as long as Keenan. But perhaps the most famous name to be associated with both heavy music and jiu-jitsu is Zoltan Bathory, guitarist for Five Finger Death Punch, who is also a black belt alongside Keenan. Bathory is also a frequent competitor in the master’s division, although Keenan has certainly had plenty of hard rounds in the training room over the years.