Hicham Hakam (born c.1977) trained in taekwondo, aikido and full contact from the age of five before the first UFC events in the 1990s drew him to Brazilian jiu-jitsu. With no schools in Morocco at the time, he began formal training only after traveling to the United States in 1999, later training extensively in the US and Brazil. In April 2012 he was promoted to black belt by David Vieira da Silva, head coach of Equipe Elite - a distinction widely reported as making him the first BJJ black belt based in Morocco and in North Africa. He had founded the Equipe Elite team in Casablanca in 2009, growing it to multiple locations, and became a foundational mentor, running seminars and training instructors to build the sport's infrastructure across the region. For years he described himself as the only black belt living in Morocco, and his students include figures such as Reda Elmardi.