Former Team USA wrestler Pat Downey has voiced his frustration over what he perceives as unfair treatment by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) – following an incident at a recent competition.
Speaking on The Grapplers Perspective Podcast, Downey described a situation in which his opponent’s team members were in a restricted area designated only for black belts and coaches.
He claims that while he was penalized, the same rules were not enforced on others:
The IBJJF made sure to enforce that rule on me but, you know, not the Russians I guess.
He explained that after exchanging words with his opponent’s team, the situation escalated when his opponent “started swinging” at him.
As a result of the altercation, the IBJJF withheld Downey’s medal and competition points:
It was a bummer because I didn’t get to score the points for my team either and then I didn’t get my medal.
Downey believes the punishment was excessive, particularly since he was defending himself:
They said it was for the gestures and stuff.
So I guess if he wouldn’t have swung on me and gotten himself DQ’d, he would have won and gotten the gold medal, so it’s pretty crazy.
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He also suggested there may be bias within the organization, stating:
They just don’t like when Brazilians aren’t winning…
You’ll never catch me on the IBJJF again.
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