"This is incredible!" - Fighters and fans react to inspirational story of first blind Hispanic man to become BJJ black belt

A black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) is difficult enough for an able-bodied person to attain, let alone a man without his eyesight. But that did not stop Carlos Alvarez from pursuing excellence in BJJ, a sport that he fell in love with from day one.

Alvarez is the first blind Hispanic to be awarded the prestigious belt, and his dedication and perseverance will undoubtedly inspire many others to follow their dreams in the future.

The BJJ black belt said that he experienced plenty of bullying in high school due to his condition. With a desire to learn how to defend himself, Alvarez was introduced to 'the gentle art' by one of his high school friends, and the rest is history.

"I am the first blind, Hispanic to be a black belt in jiu-jitsu."

Watch the video below:

Following the release of the video on Instagram, there has been an outpouring of positive reactions from both MMA fans and professional fighters.

The likes of Din Thomas, Marlon 'Chito' Vera and former UFC fighter Justin Wren all commented on the video alongside MMA fans.

Fighters' and fans' reactions to Carlos Alvarez's story

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Blind BJJ player wins combat jiu-jitsu superfight

Clinton 'The Blind Grappler' Terry, a BJJ brown belt, was on the winning end of a combat jiu-jitsu match. The ruleset of combat jiu-jitsu differs from that of other formats of the martial arts, as open-handed strikes are permitted.

Terry lost his eyesight at the age of two following an allergic reaction to penicillin, but that did not discourage 'The Blind Grappler'. He began competing in Olympic wrestling when he was 19, and despite losing his first 40 matches without scoring a single point, he went on to win various national and international wrestling titles.

Following Terry's success in wrestling, he began training in BJJ under Pedro Fernandes. 'The Blind Grappler' has been under the tutelage of Fernandes ever since.

Terry recently competed in a combat jiu-jitsu superfight against an opponent that was only identified as 'Kane'. According to Terry, while he emerged victorious in the bout, one of Kane's strikes made him see stars for the first time in his life:

"Well here it is as promised. This was absolutely terrifying as a blind person. A huge thanks to Kane for an awesome fight and he made this blind guy see stars with one of his strikes."

See Terry's Instagram post below:

Watch the full match between Clinton Terry and Kane below:

'The Blind Grappler' is a living example of why there is no excuse to get on the mats and train in Brazilain jiu-jitsu.