Kit Dale, the accomplished Australian Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, has re-emerged as a dual force—on the mats and behind the camera. While making a return to competitive grappling with a firm stance against PEDs, Dale is also making waves in the film industry with his upcoming “indie jiu-jitsu comedy movie.”
In a recent appearance on The Grapplers Perspective Podcast, Dale made his position on PEDs crystal clear:
“I think it needs to be clean,”
he said, pointing to the growing need for universal testing in jiu-jitsu.
“It’s dangerous for the athletes. It’s dangerous for their opponents and it doesn’t breed honest results.”
The 39-year-old veteran shared his personal frustration, including matches he lost to athletes later caught using PEDs—such as a close bout against Paulo Miyao decided by an advantage or referee’s decision.
His solution? A sweeping reform.
“If I could make my own little perfect world, I would have everybody being tested… or not everyone being tested. I just have the no PEDs so we don’t have to test everybody.”
He openly acknowledges medical gray areas like testosterone replacement therapy but believes clear boundaries must be drawn to protect the integrity of the sport.
Dale’s convictions aren’t theoretical—they’re lived. After years away from competition to focus on filmmaking, Dale returned to the scene with clean performances, including a notable win at the CJI Giles trials. His success, he argues, proves PEDs aren’t necessary for victory.
That same mindset—resourcefulness without shortcuts—is what drove Dale’s foray into film. His upcoming project, an “indie jiu-jitsu comedy movie,” was born from his shift toward creative storytelling. Currently in post-production, the ultra-low-budget feature was shot in just 16 days in Los Angeles and stars Dale as a jiu-jitsu instructor whose school is disrupted when a woman demands access to the competition class—triggering a hilariously escalating battle of wills.
“She basically threatens to sue me if I don’t let her train,”
Dale explains.
“Then I’m sitting there trying to figure out as many ways as I can get her to quit without getting sued.”
The plot builds toward her entry into the ADCC regionals, with several notable grapplers making cameos. Dale co-created the film, assembling a cast of 65 actors and 55 crew despite serious financial constraints.
“I never wanted to do a jiu-jitsu movie,”
Dale admitted,
“but this was a smart way to get a film made and break into the industry.”
The project is now in the editing stage, aiming for a release between September and December, depending on distribution or film festival opportunities.
Dale sees this creative chapter as more than just a side quest. His goal is to produce one film per year, while staying active in the competitive grappling world—clean.
“I don’t understand how people can look at their medals and know that that wasn’t really all them,”
he says.
“They were ch eating in a certain way. I can’t do that.”
As organizations like the UFC push into grappling with stricter testing protocols, Dale hopes the tide is turning.
“Hopefully our children will go into the cleaner sports and then [PEDs] just eventually die out.”
