Sam Gaier recently stirred up controversy in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community with some rather controversial criticism of the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF).

Gaier outlined several issues he sees with the IBJJF’s approach.

One of his main concerns was the single-elimination tournament format. Another major point of criticism was what Gaier described as “insane strictness” regarding uniform regulations.
However, the most controversial part of Gaier’s argument was his assertion that the IBJJF “operates primarily as a vehicle for helping Brazilian athletes obtain green cards and citizenship”.

Here is what he had to say in a recent social media post:

Number one: Single elimination.
You can fly all the way across the country for Worlds, Pans, or even an Open, lose in the first round, and you’re cooked. You’re out – probably thousands of dollars – with the flights, registration fees, membership fees, hotels, and food.

Number two: The insane strictness.
They’re like, “You don’t have enough square inches of blue on your rash guard for it to be a blue belt rash guard,” or “Your gi is a millimeter too short or too tight.” And then they change those rules all the time.

Number three: All the dumb rules about your rank.
How long you can be at each rank, how long you have to be at each rank. These rules have Olympic medalists competing at blue belt. That’s insane.

Then he went on to the most controversial part:

The IBJJF likes to pretend they’re in charge of Jiu-Jitsu.
Really, they’re just an organization that helps Brazilians get green cards and citizenship. Which I’m all for.

But let’s be real, you’re not in charge of Jiu-Jitsu.

 

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