Rob Kahn
Rob Kahn is identified as Royce Gracie’s first black belt and a professor at Gracie Tampa.
Biography
Sources for this profile
Gracie Tampa, ‘Rob Kahn,’ staff profile.(opens in a new tab)
Gracie Tampa’s staff profile calls Rob Kahn Royce Gracie’s first black belt and identifies him as a professor.
Where in the source: Rob Kahn staff page — heading ‘Rob Kahn’, role ‘Professor’, and biography opening ‘Royce Gracies First Black Belt’.
Accessed:
VoyageTampa, ‘Inspiring Conversations with Rob Kahn,’ 8 August 2023.(opens in a new tab)
In a 2023 interview, Rob Kahn said that he started in 1995 in college, learned initial techniques from Royce Gracie blue belt John Burke, and then moved from New York to California to train directly with Royce Gracie at the Gracie Academy.
Where in the source: Opening self-introduction answer, beginning ‘I started in 1995, in college’ and continuing through the move to California to train directly under Royce Gracie.
Accessed:
Florida MMA Hall of Fame, ‘Rob Kahn.’(opens in a new tab)
The Florida MMA Hall of Fame profile identifies Rob Kahn as a third-degree black belt under Royce Gracie and says he has trained with Royce since the mid-1990s, with a focus on MMA and no-gi grappling.
Where in the source: Rob Kahn profile — opening paragraph describing third-degree black belt status, mid-1990s training with Royce Gracie, and MMA/no-gi focus.
Accessed:
Benjamin Strusnik, ‘Rob Kahn: Record, Net Worth, Weight, Age & More!,’ BJJ Fanatics, 2 November 2021.(opens in a new tab)
A 2021 BJJ Fanatics profile says that after nearly a decade of training with Royce Gracie, Rob Kahn became Royce’s first black belt, opened Gracie Tampa, and had coached 11 UFC fighters since the gym’s 2004 opening.
Where in the source: ‘Rob Kahn: Record, Net Worth, Weight, Age & More!’ — paragraphs beginning ‘After training together for nearly a decade’ and ‘As a coach’; dated 2 November 2021.
Accessed:
BJJ Drifter, ‘Getting Started and Tampa Trip,’ BJJ Globetrotters, 23 April 2017.(opens in a new tab)
A 2017 BJJ Globetrotters visitor account identifies Rob Kahn as Gracie Tampa’s owner and one of Royce Gracie’s first American black belts; it says Kahn led most instruction during the writer’s two-week visit.
Where in the source: ‘Rob Kahn and I’ section — the identification as owner and one of Royce Gracie’s first American black belts, followed by the paragraph beginning ‘Rob led the instruction on most nights’.
Accessed: