The country music icon who turns 81 this week received his fifth-degree black belt Monday in the martial art of Gong Kwon Yu Sul. He cinched the personalized belt around a black robe at an Austin studio.
Nelson didn't show off his chops but Grand Master Sam Um assured a packed room, including fellow Texan Lance Armstrong, that the "Red Headed Stranger" could hold his own against anyone.
Nelson's birthday is Wednesday - though he's claimed before that the date is really April 29, a day earlier.
He credits two decades of martial arts for keeping him physically and mentally fit.
