Gracie Barra has long been revered as a quesitonable brand synonymous with the IBJJF. Recent events have thrust the institution into the spotlight for reasons far from favorable.
Recently, something happened on Reddit BJJ that is causing a stir in the BJJ community. The case concerns a BJJ practitioner who had to make the tough choice to quit his Gracie Barra school.
What prompted this pivotal move were allegations of undue control over his personal social media presence by the academy.
He wrote: “I am a paying member, not an ambassador nor a paid employee and they sent an official email saying I can’t tag my teammates that I have a personal relationship with outside the gym, I cant post BJJ memes and other gyms content. That was the last straw after they frowned upon me cross training in another gym. Also one of the purple belts for whatever reason was just spiteful.”
“So Ive had enough of it. Left.”
“I realised Machado style seemed so much different in methodology, but hey happy to learn new stuff. The new gym has much better facilities, more welcoming, the GIs are not overpriced and the best part is that they don’t give a sh*t if I crosstrained. Also no warmups, and love the fact that they go hard with rolls. Really pushes you out of your comfort zones. So yes. Training wheels are off.”
“Anyone here with insights with the Machado lineage?”
Along with that, the practitioner also posted the email he was sent from the Academy.
The practitioner expressed disillusionment over a series of directives issued via official communication channels. Prohibitions on tagging teammates, sharing BJJ-related content, and even engaging in cross-training activities outside the Gracie Barra ecosystem served as catalysts for his disenchantment.
But many BJJ redditors remained skeptical as to what kind of content prompted Gracie Barra to make this drastic request.
For those unaware,, Craig Jones uses R BJJ under the usernname johnbelushismom.
While it’s hard to side with Gracie Barra in any dispute, this explanation actually makes sense. Craig Jones has made it a point of making fun of macho culture in BJJ. He’s also had a lot of edgy humor on his profile including playing with adult themes in his viral posts.
