In a recent interview on the Jits and Giggles podcast, respected Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor Dante Rivera addressed the controversial incident at a Grappling Industries tournament where a father gave the middle finger to a young female competitor.
Rivera clarified that the father in question was not a practitioner at his academy, stating, “No, he does not train Jiu-Jitsu at all.” He explained that there was initially a misunderstanding about the girl’s actions, which has since been cleared up. “I mistook her for doing crying eyes at him… somebody pointed out to me from another video that she wiped her hair out of her face,” Rivera explained.
The BJJ instructor strongly condemned the father’s behavior: “Even though he’s my friend, there’s no reason to give the girl a finger. I don’t care what she did. You’re an adult. She’s a kid. Period.”
According to Rivera, the situation has had serious consequences for the father. “The man called me up crying,” Rivera revealed. “People even wrote bad reviews on his business that hurt his business.” While acknowledging the father’s wrongdoing, Rivera also expressed concern about the excessive backlash, including threats being sent to the man’s family.
In an effort to make amends, Rivera mentioned that he “purchased a lifetime membership for the girl” through social media. The mother of the young competitor, Heidi Underwood Krogstad, has since publicly called for an end to the harassment, stating, “I really hope the threats to the Mother of this boy stop immediately!!! No mother deserves this.”
The incident has sparked widespread discussion in the BJJ community about appropriate behavior at youth competitions. Many practitioners and coaches have praised Rivera’s handling of the situation, with multiple social media comments supporting his balanced approach to addressing the misconduct while preventing excessive retaliation.
“The punishment should be on level with the incident,” Rivera emphasized, calling for perspective and restraint from the martial arts community. The situation serves as a reminder about the importance of maintaining composure and setting positive examples for young athletes in competitive environments.
