Craig Kukuk was the first US native to achieve the rank of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt (1992) by the hands of Royler Gracie. Kukuk is also the co-author of one of the very first Jiu-Jitsu instructionals sold to the American audience, the "Renzo Gracie - Craig Kukuk Brazilian Jiu Jitsu", a historical piece of footage that helped advertise jiu-jitsu in the Northern Hemisphere at a time when this sport/martial art was not yet spread worldwide.