Chadi, a second-degree judo black belt and martial arts history YouTuber, appeared on a podcast to discuss judo history in depth. Near the end of the conversation, he shifted toward the conduct of high-profile combat sports athletes and the promotional tactics often used in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, specifically referencing the incident in which Gordon Ryan slapped Andre Galvao.
Chadi began by contrasting what he believes a champion should represent with the behavior he often sees promoted in modern combat sports. To illustrate his point, he recalled a moment from the Sydney Olympics involving legendary judoka Kosei Inoue.
“I still remember Kosei Inoue in the Sydney Olympics,” Chadi said. “He won, his mother passed away a year earlier. He held her picture on the podium with him. This is the example you’d want to be.”
He then addressed trash talk and online behavior, acknowledging that controversy can generate business while making it clear he disagrees with the approach.
“Not the smack talking on social media,” he said. “I know it sells tickets. Trust me, I do know that.”
From there, Chadi turned directly to the Gordon Ryan and Andre Galvao slap incident, criticizing how the altercation was allegedly used as a promotional tool to drive subscriptions and viewership.
“I forgot who it was, but you know, when Gordon Ryan slapped Galvao,” he said, “[They] said, ‘Oh, you want to see the full thing? Subscribe to our, I don’t know, service and watch the match.’ And so you’re using it as a selling point, which is unethical to me coming from the judo world.”
While making his criticism, Chadi emphasized that judo is far from perfect itself. Still, he argued that openly marketing disrespectful behavior would not be accepted in that culture.
“Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s not a perfect world,” he said. “But to use these things as selling points, and you know, the smack talking in the press conferences and on social media, it’s not… you have kids that look up to you.”
According to Chadi, the biggest issue is the effect this behavior can have on younger fans who see elite athletes and grapplers as role models.
“You have a lot of insecure kids that will do anything for attention and to, you know, separate themselves from the crowd to look cool,” he said. “And that will include disrespect, that will include hurting other people. A lot of people forget that they are being a role model to younger generations.”
