Former Team USA wrestler Pat Downey has spoken out about what he believes was 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 where his opponent’s team members were in a restricted area designated only for black belts and coaches. According to Downey, while he was penalized for his actions, the same rules weren’t applied to others.
“The IBJJF made sure to enforce that rule on me but, you know, not the Russians I guess,”
Downey stated. 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 incident, 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 explained.
He maintains that the penalty was excessive, particularly given that 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.”
Downey suggested there might be bias within the organization, stating
“They just don’t like when Brazilians aren’t winning.”
The incident has led Downey to decide against competing in future IBJJF events, stating definitively
“You’ll never catch me on the IBJJF again.”
Despite the controversy, Downey remains focused on his jiu-jitsu progression, having recently earned his purple belt and continuing to compete in other grappling organizations.
