50/50 Black Belts
Earning a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt takes years of discipline and dedication. No Fifty/50 Belts of any rank are awarded based on the length of time an individual has been training or for any reason other than technical ability, understanding, and fighting skill. We do not believe in automatic belts. Each new rank must be earned through consistent training and improvement, the Black Belt most of all. Ryan has notoriously high standards for promotion and the following individuals hold the distinguished honor of being the ten people to have been awarded the Black Belt under him :
Seph Smith
An accomplished competitor and experienced instructor, Seph Smith was the first black belt to be promoted by Ryan Hall on July 3, 2012. Seph earned his Black Belt 11 years into his BJJ journey, 4 years after beginning his training under Ryan. He subsequently earned his 2nd degree on July 3, 2018. Seph coached at the main 50/50 academy from 2008-2015 before moving back home to Richmond, Virginia to realize his dream of opening his own academy Upstream BJJ, the first 50/50 affiliate.
Jen Hall
Jen began her BJJ training in other area gyms, but switched to 50/50 when Ryan opened the academy in 2008. She trained and competed for 6 years at 50/50 before being promoted by her soon-to-be-husband to Black Belt on October 15, 2014. 15 years into her BJJ journey, she earned the 2nd degree on her Black Belt in October 2020.
Maia Matalon
Maia moved across the country from California as a purple belt in 2013 in an effort to push her game to the next level. She won the IBJJF World Championships in 2015 at Brown Belt after tearing her ACL just two weeks prior in training. The 3rd person and 2nd female promoted to Black Belt by Ryan Hall, Maia received her rank on January 7, 2017 in her 8th year of training Jiu-Jitsu.
ADAM BENAYOUN
A long time friend, Adam made the move to 50/50 in Spring 2017, already an accomplished competitor. He earned his Black Belt in the end of 2017, and has enjoyed the opportunity to test himself against some of the best BJJ competitors the world has to offer at Featherweight. He is currently hard at work as finds himself on the cusp of the world level and hopes to break into the top ranks himself.
Phil Brown
Phil came to 50/50 as a skilled purple belt under Gustavo Dantas in 2011. A fierce competitor and excellent instructor, he became the 5th Black Belt under Ryan Hall in January 2018.
Tim Koren
The very first student to join 50/50, Tim also earned the first purple belt Ryan Hall gave out in November 2008. A precise tactician, Tim became known in the local no-gi circuit after submitting black belts a mere 2 months into his purple belt. After taking time off to have a family and compete in American Ninja Warrior, Tim finally earned his Black Belt from Ryan in December 2018.
Tom zurita
A lifelong martial artist and fixture of the Academy, Tom has been training Jiu-Jitsu since 2003. He and Ryan first crossed paths in the semi-final of the 2004 Copa Atlantica white belt lightweight division, with Tom coming out victorious by triangle choke on the way to a gold medal. The two went on to become teammates, training partners, and close friends in the years following, with Tom mentoring Ryan in boxing and cornering his first and fourth professional MMA fights. After a break to focus elsewhere in life for a time, Tom returned to the mat and earned his black belt on December 17, 2019.
Brett Rainey
A supremely dedicated student of the martial arts and consummate warrior in every sense of the word, Brett first joined the Academy in 2009 where it began at the Ballston Mall Sport and Health. Demonstrating his mettle as a competitor at the black belt level on many occasions, he has taken gold medals at the IBJJF No-Gi World, Pan American, and European Championships in the Master 3 and 4 age groups. Also an accomplished folkstyle and freestyle wrestler, Brett took silver at the 2021 Veterans Wrestling World Championship, 78kg Class “C.”
Rory spiegel
An accomplished medical doctor who is very truly the guardian angel of Fifty/50, Rory has been a deeply dedicated student of Jiu-Jitsu for many years. Rory first met Ryan in 2010 when both were students and teammates at Marcelo Garcia’s NYC Academy, and Fifty/50 was the beneficiary of significant good fortune when his work led him to the DC area years later. Since joining Fifty/50, Rory has become one of the Academy’s most dedicated students and valuable technical resources. Rory received his Black Belt from Ryan in December 2019.
Thanh Le
A lifelong martial artist and now world-class competitor, Thanh Le began his partnership with Ryan Hall in 2015 as teammates on The Ultimate Fighter Season 22. Since that time, the pair has worked tirelessly to help one another push towards the top of the professional prize fighting world, culminating with Thanh’s stunning run through the ONE Championship featherweight division on his way to a world title. On June 7th, 2022, Thanh became the 10th Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt promoted by Ryan.
David Terao
A prolific competitor in three separate grappling arts, David has demonstrated prodigious skill throughout his competitive career. Awarded his Jiu-Jitsu black belt in December 2021 after a gold medal performance at the IBJJF No-Gi World Championship that year, David is working hard to achieve success at the top level in Judo and Jiu-Jitsu competition simultaneously.
50/50 Brown Belts
The following individuals hold the honor of having received their Brown Belts from Ryan Hall and he looks forward to the day when he can move them along their Jiu-Jitsu journeys by promoting them to Black Belt:
Brian Johnson - Promoted May 2012
German Salas - Promoted November 2013
Kenny Savercool - Promoted March 2014
Harold Van Berkel - Promoted June 2014
Will Mulhern - Promoted July 2018
Jeff Brentley - Promoted December 2018
Andrew Draper - Promoted December 2018
Josh Millsapps - Promoted April 2019
Jay Abbott - Promoted January 2020
Kevin Samara - Promoted March 2021
Aaron Aittouati - Promoted March 2021
Cameron Kingsberry - Promoted December 2021
Joshua Terao - Promoted June 2022
Matthew Crockett - Promoted June 2022
Carlos Vera - Promoted December 2022