Previous Story
Shane, Cuki earn belt promotions
Trench Tech Gyn founder Cuki Alvarez and his family being stranded in Guam two weeks ago had some positive results after the father-and-son tandem earned their respective belt promotions in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.
Shane Alvarez, kneeling left, and his father Cuki pose with other Brazilian Jiu-jitsu practitioners on Saipan. Others in photo are, standing from left, Mike Muna, Adam Harris, Cole Morril. Kneeling right is Robert Alvarez. (Jon Perez)
Shane Alvarez was promoted from white to blue belt, while his father earned a promotion from blue to purple after three Brazilian Jiu-jitsu professors and one master recognized their improved skills following a few nights of training in separate gyms in Guam.
The Alvarezes trained with Carlson Gracie Jiu-jitsu Academy main instructor Gabe Baker, Prof. Steve Roberto, and Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter John “Super Saiyan” Tuck, who is busy preparing for a UFC fight on May 16 in Manila.
Baker is a high-ranking brown-belter in Guam, while Roberto is the head instructor at Purebred Jiu-jitsu Guam, Trench Tech’s sister gym. Tuck, the first Chamorro-born fighter to be signed by UFC, will face South Korean Tae Hyun Bang in an undercard bout.
Black belt professors Luis Blanco of The Pound Academy, and Spike 22’s Dan O’Connor and Mike Ulloa, and Baker saw how steadily Shane and Cuki’s skills have improved and decided to promote them one belt higher.
“They said that it was about time we get promoted since we earned it. Especially Shane, he has improved a lot. The jiu-jitsu skills he learned while training in Guam will be useful in his future fights,” Alvarez told Saipan Tribune.
He added that the three professors approached them and told them about their decision. “That was a bit of a good news. Us being stranded in Guam for a few days had some positive results after all.”
Shane holds a 10-2 record and is coming off a loss to UFC veteran Darren Uyenoyama (10-5) in Pacific Xtreme Combat 45 on Oct. 24 last year.
Jiu-jitsu follows a belt promotion pattern of white, blue, purple, brown, and black.
In other news, Roman Alvarez, Shane’s cousin, brought home a gold medal after competing in last month’s Abu Dhabi trials in Guam. He defeated all other blue belts in his weight division earning a slot in the open category.
The overall champion earns a spot in the tough finals in Abu Dhabi this year. Roman, however, lost in his open division match.
