The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) has issued a five-year suspension to former Team USA wrestler Pat Downey. The suspension, dated March 3rd, 2025, comes after controversial incidents during and following the 2024 No-Gi IBJJF World Championships.
According to the official suspension letter addressed to Downey, his tournament participation will be suspended from December 13, 2024, to December 12, 2029. The IBJJF cited “Acts of Physical or Verbal Aggression, Damage, or Non-compliance” as the basis for the suspension, with “inciting violence” listed as an aggravating factor that may have increased the penalty by up to 50%.
The controversy began when Downey was disqualified during a match at the championships after performing what he describes as a common celebratory gesture following a submission. Downey has publicly claimed that the IBJJF enforces its rules inconsistently, arguing that Brazilian competitors frequently make similar gestures without facing penalties.
“Here’s how racist the IBJJF is… I’m all I’m doing is emulating the gesture I’ve seen done at your Federation that you’ve never penalized,” Downey stated in a recent interview. “I’ve never seen them penalize a Brazilian for doing this gesture.”
The situation was further complicated by an altercation with opponent Shamil Murtazaliev, who reportedly confronted Downey after regaining consciousness following the submission. According to reports, Murtazaliev received a two-year ban for post-match misconduct, but Downey’s disqualification remained in place.
In response to the suspension, Downey posted on social media calling the IBJJF a “goofy wet chicken nugget promotion” and using several explicit hashtags, clearly expressing his frustration with the federation’s decision.
Despite the suspension, Downey will retain access to the IBJJF system for essential activities such as membership updates, graduation, and ranking affiliations. However, his competition opportunities within the organization have been effectively halted for the next five years.
Downey, who was recently promoted to purple belt after only six months of dedicated BJJ training, has previously expressed ambitious goals including becoming “the fastest black belt ever.” The suspension presents a significant obstacle to these plans, at least within the IBJJF competition circuit.
Before this incident, Downey had openly criticized the IBJJF’s scoring and judging standards, calling for more transparent and objective criteria.
“I really hope they have a more clear defined rule set for the judges and the fans and the scoring,”
Downey had stated, suggesting a public scoring system to reduce subjectivity.
The IBJJF has not issued any public statements regarding the specific allegations of bias or inconsistent rule enforcement raised by Downey. The federation’s letter concludes by expressing hope that in future competitions, Downey can
“keep competing with determination while ensuring that your behavior remains respectful and non-aggressive.”
Downey had previously stated he would not compete in IBJJF events again, saying
“You’ll never catch me on the IBJJF again”
after earlier controversies. With this suspension now in place, his focus will likely turn to other grappling organizations and competitions outside the IBJJF umbrella.
