In an interview with Tatame (in Portuguese), Rickson Gracie claimed it was him who convinced his nephew, Rener Gracie, to stop promoting blue belts online at his controversial cyber Brazilian jiu-jitsu school, Gracie University:

“It’s absurd. There can be no online belt promotion. After I read an article on Rener Gracie talking about Gracie University, saying that he promoted online students to blue belt, I had a confrontation with him. I said that if he continued to do this, I would denigrate his image, saying that he was a charlatan. And after that, he reconsidered, and thought that the idea did not make sense anymore. The blue belt is the most important Jiu-Jitsu. White to blue, it is the stage of enlightenment. The blue belt needs to be a confident guy that is a tough guy that can handle an aggression. And for that, he can not get a belt over the Internet.”

Since 2014, students have only been able to earn a “technical blue belt” via online learning. Those who wish for the official blue belt must pass a hands-on evaluation with Rener, Ryron, or an authorized Gracie Academy representative.