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Sambo Champion Reveals He Was Promoted From Judo White To Black Belt Immediately

From BJJ Eastern Europe

June 29, 2026

For Vlad Koulikov, an accomplished sambo competitor, earning a judo black belt didn’t follow the traditional path. Instead of climbing through the belt ranks or competing in judo tournaments, he was awarded a second-degree black belt based entirely on his years of elite sambo experience: My first judo certificate was second degree black belt. Gratuitous, […]

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