On the BJJ Fanatics Podcast, BJJ OG Scotty Nelson from OTM and Lucky Gi recounts his adventurous and nearly fatal journey to Pakistan in the pursuit of finding Gi manufacturers. His tale is not only a testament to his dedication to Jiu-Jitsu but also a stark reminder of the risks he took to revolutionize the industry.
Heading to Pakistan: A Risky Venture
“I went to Pakistan to make Jiu-Jitsu Gis back in the day, and I thought there was a very good chance that I was gonna get kidnapped,” Scotty begins. He shares a chilling account of the fear he endured, “I actually got did like a pre-interview for that TV show Locked Up Abroad about it… I was scared to death.”
A Terrifying Experience
His time in Pakistan was fraught with danger. “I had people shooting guns outside my window, banging on my door, woke me up in the middle of the night,” he recalls. On his first day, he found his room ransacked, with his belongings thoroughly searched yet oddly left untouched. The intimidation escalated to a frightening level when he found the safety locks on his door removed.
“One night… the whole place went dead silent, everyone was staring at me,” he narrates about a party he naively attended, highlighting the palpable tension he faced.
Survival Instincts and the Drive to Continue
Despite these daunting experiences, Scotty’s resolve remained unshaken. He describes his survival instincts kicking in, “I was playing MacGyver man, I had a fork, a camera flash, a lighter, and this spray toner… it would blow torch.”
His commitment to his mission was unwavering, even in the face of direct threats. “Some guys followed me to my room… everybody carried openly carried a gun there,” he explains, detailing an altercation that occurred after a misunderstanding in a local restaurant.
The Birth of Lucky Gi
This perilous journey was fueled by Scotty’s ambition to innovate the Gi industry. “I had been trying to make Lucky Gis down in Brazil… but… it’s going to get stolen from me,” he reasoned, deciding to venture into Pakistan despite the evident risks.
Scotty’s pioneering efforts were not without consequence. “I want to apologize to everyone in the Jiu-Jitsu community… for all those emails, DMs… ‘dear kind sir, we are manufacturers of highest grade quality martial arts equipment,'” he humorously laments, acknowledging his inadvertent role in the flood of marketing emails now common in the Jiu-Jitsu community.
A Trailblazer’s Legacy
Scotty Nelson’s story is not just about the birth of Lucky Gi but a narrative of bravery, innovation, and an unyielding passion for Jiu-Jitsu. His journey to Pakistan, while perilous, paved the way for significant advancements in Gi manufacturing and has left an indelible mark on the martial arts community.
