Robert Drysdale, renowned Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion and author, opened up about experiencing pushback and closed doors within the BJJ community following the publication of his historical books on the martial art.
In a podcast on Brazilian Pura Temple podcast, Drysdale offered a less then stellar take on Helio Gracie.
According to Drysdale, Helio Gracie’s most significant contribution wasn’t necessarily his technical prowess. “These guys spent four decades pressing on with the same message – it will work, ours is better, we have a special product, it will succeed, believe it, don’t give up,” Drysdale explained in Portuguese.
The BJJ black belt emphasized that Helio’s true value lay in his leadership and persistence. “The person who kept this group together was Helio – that’s Helio’s contribution,” Drysdale stated.
However, Drysdale was frank in his assessment of Helio’s technical abilities compared to his contemporaries. “To say he was an exceptional, exceptional practitioner – look, there were much better people than him at the time, for heaven’s sake, there’s no comparison,” he noted.
Many Brazilian fans took offense to that even saying Drysdale would’ve lost his teeth saying something like that back in the day.
The ADCC champion and former UFC star revealed that while his books have made him “a lot of good friends,” they’ve also created unseen enemies who “act in silence” and “play politics.” Drysdale noted his writings and positions within the jiu-jitsu sphere have led to fewer seminar opportunities.
Drysdale explained to Lytes out podcast:
“I think not just the book, but my demeanor and how I position myself in the Jiu-Jitsu sphere has definitely created a lot of problems for me.”
“Doors definitely started opening in the past, I’d say, the last five to seven years, where I was requested to teach a seminar a week.”
“Maybe I’ll get a seminar every two months.”
“I get paid less.”
“Fewer people show.”
“I mean, I get older too, so I understand all that.”
“But I also think there’s an element of, like, stay away from this guy.”
“Like, you know—mostly from people that don’t know me and haven’t read my books.”
“So I think some doors have definitely closed in that regard.”
Much of the controversy stems from Drysdale’s research challenging traditional BJJ narratives, particularly regarding Carlson Gracie’s influential role in shaping modern Brazilian jiu-jitsu. “I argue for that. Some people don’t like to hear that. It goes against traditional dogma but I’m willing to argue for it,” he stated.
Drysdale emphasized that his books rely heavily on first-hand accounts rather than his own assertions. “I don’t mind giving myself credit for what I did do. I just don’t want to take credit for things that I did not do,” he said.
The Las Vegas-based instructor noted that while Americans are familiar with Helio, Royce and Rickson Gracie, Carlson Gracie’s contributions remain underappreciated in the U.S. despite his legendary status in Brazil. “If you go to Copacabana there’s a statue of Carlson Gracie…he’s very well known,” Drysdale pointed out.
Drysdale said he stands by his historical research, noting “I didn’t say anything that these guys had not been saying for the past 3-4 years” regarding the old-school Brazilian practitioners he interviewed.
The jiu-jitsu historian remains focused on completing two more books before moving on from martial arts history to explore other topics. Through it all, he maintains that honest historical examination, even when controversial, serves the martial art better than unquestioned narratives.
