ADCC veteran Brandon Reed has addressed accusations of sandbagging directed at both himself and teammate Michael Pixley after their recent success at purple belt competitions. In a candid video discussion, Reed unpacked the complexities surrounding their competitive status and the broader perceptions within the jiu-jitsu community.
Reed highlighted that neither he nor Pixley won the same tournament last year or achieved victory at purple belt worlds. As Reed stated, “Neither one of us won this tournament last year. Neither one of us won purple belt worlds either. I got second, Pixley didn’t place, and neither one of us submitted every single opponent this weekend.”
The grappler pointed out the irony in being labeled a sandbagger, noting, “When I was a white belt I had competed against black and brown belts and I had lost and beat some of them. When I lost to them everyone was like ‘oh man it’s okay you know you’re going to get better.’ When I would beat them people be like ‘oh you’re a sandbagger why are you a white belt?'”
Reed emphasized that both he and Pixley have been practicing jiu-jitsu for less than four years, stating, “Both of us have been doing jiu-jitsu for less than 4 years and there just tends to be this crazy juxtaposition about what the standard is for wrestlers.”
Addressing the issue of belt promotions, Reed clarified, “We can’t I can’t promote myself. I rep Pedigo SF… for tournaments I do my camps at Pedigo SF but my coach is Chewy Jiu-Jitsu. The standard for being promoted is very individually based and it’s not just about what you know.”
Reed also revealed that the upcoming IBJJF Worlds would be their last purple belt tournament, saying, “I know for a fact that me and Pixley are both going into our last, both of our last tournaments as purple belts at IBJJF worlds which is coming up in about a month.”
