A no-gi match at a recent Grappling Industries event has generated considerable online debate after competitor Nichole Campa was disqualified for pushing off her opponent during a position reset.
Campa’s coach, Andy Varela, was among the first to share the clip publicly. He posted it on Instagram with the caption: “Wowww. What do you guys think?”
The video spread quickly, and Varela did not mince words about where he stood on the call, adding, “Jiu-jitsu is too soft. Crazy disqualification.”
Campa made her own feelings toward the officiating equally clear through her Instagram story, directing a message at the official responsible: “To the ref that reffed my nogi match today at @grapplingindustries, you’re a POS.”
The post drew a range of responses. Wrestler Jason Nolf took a pointed approach, joking, “She should be banned from future competitions too.”
One commenter referenced a familiar frustration within the community. ADCC, widely regarded as the most prestigious submission grappling organization in the world, has drawn recurring criticism over venue safety and inadequate preparation conditions for competitors, concerns that have surfaced even at the trials level.
The contrast with a disqualification over a position reset was not lost on them: “Meanwhile ADCC lets you compete in the stands on the concrete.”
Grappling Industries maintains a code of conduct that holds competitors, coaches, and staff accountable not just for their behavior during competition but for what they say and post online before and after events. Unsportsmanlike conduct or offensive language directed at referees and event staff can result in removal from current or future competitions.
What the published rules do not clearly outline is any provision making a reset push-off a disqualifiable offense, which is precisely what has left so many observers in the community questioning the call in the first place.
