In a BJJ competition, anything can happen. You will often see surprises, especially in the No Gi divisions where some competition mix the belt levels. It’s not uncommon to see a blue belt face a black belt. This often leads to upsets:
140lbs Purple Belt Subbed 300lbs Black Belt In Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
This recently happened at a competition in the US where BJJ blue belt Tristan (since promoted to purple belt) competed in the advanced division against a BJJ black belt. Tristan was able to immediately pull guard to single leg X and then transition to a rolling ankle lock to the inside forcing a tap. Apparently reaping was allowed under those rules. He then casually walked it off as it meant nothing to him.
The black belt was heavily criticised online but Tom Deblass had this to say:
“I don’t think it’s fair to say he isn’t a real black belt. I know really great black belts that freeze in competition. Competition is not always who has the most skill or knowledge technically, its about who competes best.”
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