Marco Canha criticized Michael Pixley’s participation in purple belt competitions on The Grapplers Perspective Podcast.
“That’s not fair,” Canha remarked, referring to Pixley’s entry at the purple belt level despite his impressive showing against Nicholas Meregali at ADCC.
Brandon Reed, an ADCC veteran and Pixley’s teammate, has since spoken out in defense of Pixley and himself, addressing the accusations directly.
Reed clarified that both he and Pixley have less than four years of jiu-jitsu experience and that their competition records at purple belt include setbacks:
Neither one of us won this tournament last year. Neither one of us won purple belt worlds either.
I got second, Pixley didn’t place, and neither one of us submitted every single opponent this weekend.
Reed also highlighted the broader paradox that wrestlers and no-gi grapplers face when entering BJJ’s traditional belt system:
When I was a white belt, I had competed against black and brown belts and I had lost and beat some of them.
When I lost to them, everyone was like: “Oh man, it’s okay, you know you’re going to get better.”
When I would beat them, people would be like: “Oh, you’re a sandbagger. Why are you a white belt?”
Reed announced that both he and Pixley will compete in their final tournament as purple belts at the upcoming IBJJF Worlds, set to take place in about a month:
I know for a fact that me and Pixley are both going into our last, both of our last tournaments as purple belts at IBJJF Worlds.
Sloth Jiu-Jitsu: you can be slow and unathletic and still kick butt in Jiu-Jitsu.
