A disturbing incident at the Versus Invitational yesterday has sparked serious concerns about referee oversight and competitor safety in BJJ competitions. During the 88kg division final of the 8-man grand prix, competitor Sven Groten suffered a potential arm injury and prolonged choke due to the referee’s failure to notice his submission.
The match between Groten and Rene Haendel took a dangerous turn when Groten was caught in a reverse triangle. According to video evidence, Groten clearly tapped out, signaling his submission. However, the referee failed to recognize this crucial moment. As Groten lost consciousness, Haendel, unaware that Groten had already submitted and passed out, continued to apply an arm submission. This resulted in what observers described as a possible dislocation of Groten’s arm.
Groten provided an update on social media.
Groten is currently in high spirits, admitting that his arm was not broken but rather dislocated due to the referee’s delay.
He wrote: “So that sucked. Got choked out and my elbow dislocated. No bone damage, more info to come. I’m in the hand of the best medical professionals with @sportsdoccgn and @pi.physio. Thanks to the crew of @versus.events for caring and all reaching out individually. Ref failed terribly though. There’s absolute no blame on my opponent @rene_haen you were better yesterday. I’ll crush you next time we compete. That’s a promise. I’ll be back. Better.”
As of now, the full extent of Groten’s injuries remains unclear. But this is certainly a cautionary tale for everyone planning to compete in BJJ as well as to all promotions hiring referees.
