Professor Brian Ernst hold the rank of 2^nd degree Black Belt.  He is Lynchburg’s only IBJJF Champion Black Belt. He has been training full time since 2005, in both Virginia and New York under instructors such as Victor McLeod and Ryan Clark. He received his Black belt from Tim Mannon in 2015. He remains an active competitor, and he is 2021 Pans No Gi Silver Medalist & 5x IBJJF Black Belt Open Champion.