UFC Fighter Tarec Saffedine’s Painful Black Belt Promotion

There are many Brazilian Jiu Jitsu academies. Some promote their students via “the gauntlet” and others do not. The BJJ promotion gauntlet consists of fellow students whipping the newly promoted with their cloth belts.

In the video below UFC welterweight Tarec Saffedine receives the gauntlet treatment by his fellow teammates as he is promoted to Jiu Jitsu black belt!

What do you think? Is the BJJ gauntlet abusive? Or does it serve as a symbol of the pain involved in achieving a new belt rank?.