How long does it take to win a Black belt in BJJ? Conor McGregor surprisingly took double the average time

Conor McGregor is among the most well-known fighters in the world, and there are plenty of reasons why. The Irishman is the preeminent trash-talker in the combat sports world. Furthermore, the myth that once surrounded his left hand was owed to his sublime counterpunching inside the octagon.

'The Notorious' is a striker, first and foremost, once celebrated for his high knockout percentage and criticized for how poorly he regarded grappling. Thus, it may surprise some fans that Conor McGregor has finally earned his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, a milestone hardly anyone expected for him.

Four of his six losses as a professional MMA fighter came via submission, with his most well-known defeats being the rear-naked choke he suffered against Nate Diaz in their initial matchup and the neck crank he tapped to when he faced hated rival Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229.

But under the tutelage of his head coach John Kavanagh, who specializes in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Conor McGregor has finally joined the ranks of black belts in 'The Gentle Art.' But it took him an unusually long amount of time to do so. Fighters typically earn their black belts within 8 or 10 years of training.

McGregor first joined Straight Blast Gym Ireland back in 2008, only earning his black belt 15 years later in 2023. However, it should come as no surprise, given that the former UFC double champion has generally expressed disdain for grappling, even claiming that he only counts knockouts in wins and losses.

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Has Conor McGregor ever won a fight via submission?

Conor McGregor has participated in 28 bouts in his MMA career thus far. Of those 28 fights, he has emerged victorious in 22. But how many of them did he win by submission, especially in light of his recent graduation to black belt status in Brazilian jiu-jitsu? As it turns out, the Irishman has won via submission before.

However, he has only done so once, and it was back during his days at Cage Warriors. In fact, it was his penultimate bout in the promotion, as he captured its featherweight title by submitting Dave Hill with a rear-naked choke in round two to capture the featherweight title.