Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitor Gianni Grippo has revealed the depth of his frustration on UFC’s new BJJ reality series, admitting he felt “envy” as the opposing team thrived under the clear guidance of Mikey Musumeci while his own coach could barely communicate with him.
Grippo was placed on Team Brazil under Rerisson Gabriel a late addition to the show after UFC failed to secure its first-choice stars—Gordon Ryan and Craig Jones. Both are the kind of names that would have given the series credibility and traction but negotiations collapsed once their big paydays became clear. In Ryan’s case his lingering stomach issues—which had already forced him into semi-retirement—made participation impossible.
That left UFC scrambling and instead of signing another household name they tapped Gabriel an unknown Brazilian competitor whose resume simply doesn’t compare to the sport’s top figures. More importantly he speaks little English—a fact that turned out to be a glaring liability in a show built around cornering strategy and team guidance.
“I was definitely jealous after the show watching Mikey, you know, be able to coach everyone,” Grippo admitted in podcast appearance. “I think [Gabriel] was put in a pretty tough spot because like he could barely speak the language.”
The result was obvious: while Musumeci’s team was receiving real-time tactical adjustments, Grippo’s squad was left stranded.
“We didn’t really have the ability to be guided by anyone… just because there was the language barrier which made it super difficult,”
he explained.
Even Grippo’s reaction to being drafted by Gabriel told the story. He recalled teammate Kyvann’s observation:
“The look on your face when you got picked—it looked like you were being held hostage.”
To Gabriel’s credit his journey has been anything but easy. Growing up in Rio’s Cantagalo favela he balanced training with selling popsicles to support his family at times competing in borrowed gis just to get on the mats. His 2025 IBJJF Pan win was a career-defining breakthrough but even with that achievement the leap to being a UFC coach feels less like an earned opportunity and more like a setup.
Gabriel’s story is inspirational but UFC is framing it as cannon fodder. Opposite Musumeci a full-time professional molded by years of carefully curated promotional backing Gabriel is at a manufactured disadvantage. It mirrors the formula that ONE Championship perfected when building Musumeci’s brand: put him against opponents who can’t realistically compete then sell it as elite competition. Fans saw through those lopsided spectacles then and they’re seeing through UFC’s recycled blueprint now.
The UFC had one chance to bring legitimacy to a BJJ reality project and the community would have actually rallied behind it if Gordon Ryan or Craig Jones were involved. Both have outsized personalities and established global fanbases—exactly what’s needed to elevate a niche sport into mainstream conversation.
Instead UFC delivered a language-barrier sideshow. Grippo, Andrew Tackett, and other rising names were effectively stranded without tactical coaching while Musumeci and his team came off polished and prepared.
UFC setting him up to lead a team in a format outside his specialty in a language he doesn’t speak opposite one of the most dominant American competitors in the sport is not a feel-good underdog story. It’s negligence disguised as opportunity.
Grippo’s words cut through the UFC’s narrative: competitors know when the playing field isn’t level.
In a match that was competely predictable, Musumeci submitted Gabriel after hopping on one leg. It remains to be seen if this is the last we hear of Gabriel.
