MEGADETH's DAVE MUSTAINE Earns Jiu-Jitsu Brown Belt At 61 Years Old

MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine is now a brown belt in jiu-jitsu.

The 61-year-old guitarist/vocalist was promoted to the new rank almost two years after earning his blue belt. He was promoted by Reggie Almeida, who leads Gracie Barra Spring Hill BJJ & Self-Defense in Tennessee, near Mustaine's hometown of Franklin.

Almeida shared the good news on his social media.

"Congratulations @davemustaine," he wrote. "All of us know how hard is to stay focus and work towards our goals. But with small and steady paces we will get there ! One step closer ! #brownbelt #backstagebjj #ontheroad #bjj #graciebarra #iamgbsh #iamgbctn #megadeth #metal #guitar #music".

Brown belt is the highest-ranking color belt below black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Progressing from a beginner white belt through to a brown belt typically requires at least five years of dedicated training.

In a 2007 interview, Mustaine said he started training taekwondo in 1999 in Arizona and then moved to California, where he lived until a few years ago. "Before taking up taekwondo, I practiced kung fu and other martial arts," he said.

Mustaine told The Quietus in 2010 that he had "a first degree in Ukidokan karate. My sensei — Benny 'The Jet' Urquidez — has the style of karate, kung-fu, aikido, judo, ju-jitsu, taekwondo, Greco-Roman wrestling, Muay Thai boxing and American boxing," he said. "So it's all those things rolled into one. It's a nine-style discipline. My second black belt is in Songham taekwondo and I was an assistant instructor in that style, and then I taught it privately for a while."

Mustaine and his family moved to a suburb of Nashville in October 2014 after living in Fallbrook, California for a couple of years.