Dan (rank) is by far the most recognizable symbol to the general public. The highest dan ranks are sometimes reserved for the founder or leaders of a style and only high-ranking students can be promoted to them. For example, only five living people hold a tenth dan in judo and only about thirty-five worldwide have been promoted to the rank since its inception; of those 10th dan promotions only fifteen were conferred by the Kodokan, all of them to Japanese judoka. This has led to upper level ranks becoming extinct in some arts. In other styles, the dan ranks are not the
Dan Kelly (fighter) Dan Kelly (fighter) Daniel Thomas Kelly (born 31 October 1977 in Melbourne, Australia) is an Australian judoka and mixed martial artist. Known for his unconventional style, the four-time judo Olympian competes in the UFC middleweight division. Kelly began competing in judo when he was 7 and competed at his first Australian Championships when he was 13. He made the junior national team in 1994 where he competed at the Junior World Championships and went on to make the senior national team two years later. Kelly has been Australian Champion on nine occasions. Kelly is the only Judo competitor to have