BJJ black belt and undefeated MMA star Mansher Khera recently appeared on The John Rondi Show, where he detailed the story behind one of Brazilian jiu-jitsu’s most infamous gym expulsions: a controversy that also involved BJJ and MMA star Dillon Danis.
Khera trained at Marcelo Garcia‘s gym in New York City alongside some of the sport’s top grapplers, including Danis, Gianni Grippo, Matheus Diniz, and Bernardo Faria.
The academy played a major role in launching his competitive career, helping him win Nogi Worlds at brown belt in both his weight class and the absolute division before repeating the accomplishment the following year and eventually earning his black belt.
According to Khera, the incident that led to their expulsion stemmed from a series of prank calls directed at one of the gym’s instructors.
“We were just kids being st*pid,” Khera said. “We were just messing around and we got in trouble because we were prank calling one of the instructors.”
The instructor in question was someone Khera described as especially trusting. Recalling the calls, he explained how the jokes gradually escalated.
“We were just telling him things like, ‘Hey, we’ll pay you $500 and we’ll get you some strippers and whatnot,'” Khera said. “He would always answer the phone and we would just continue to go on with the story.”
The prank reportedly went on for so long that the instructor became convinced someone was following him, never realizing the people behind the calls were training beside him every day.
Eventually, the pair were identified through what Khera described as a straightforward process of elimination. Danis made one final call while the instructor was with another individual they had also previously pranked. That person recognized the number and connected the dots, realizing the caller had knowledge of both of them.
While discussing the fallout, Khera pointed out that this was his first significant issue at the academy. Danis, however, had already developed a reputation for attracting controversy.
“He didn’t do anything wrong at the gym, but he was just antagonizing people online or in public,” Khera said, noting that negative headlines involving Danis and Marcelo Garcia’s gym had become a recurring issue.
Before the academy officially took action, Khera said he and Danis personally settled matters with the instructor they had targeted.
“We trained hard and he almost broke my knee,” Khera recalled. “But it was all good. He shook our hand and I thought it was behind us. We squashed it.”
Despite that resolution, word of the incident had already spread throughout the gym, and Marcelo Garcia ultimately decided action was necessary.
Looking back, Khera believes Garcia may have been dealing with personal difficulties at the time.
“I think he was going through a rough time,” Khera said. “He had just come back from Brazil. I think his father had just passed away. So I think he might have just been really angry at the time.”
The dismissal itself came through separate meetings with Marcelo and the gym’s instructors. Khera remembered noticing that one instructor who had previously laughed about the prank calls was now forced to remain completely serious during the discussion.
After being expelled, Khera initially believed the situation could be resolved with a simple apology.
“I’m just going to go back and apologize and I’m pretty sure he’ll take me back,” he recalled thinking.
That outlook changed when Marcelo released a public video addressing the situation.
“He never says the real reason why he let us go,” Khera said. “He just says things that are very vague, like, ‘Hey, these guys are not a good example for the gym.’ It makes it sound like we did something horrible.”
According to Khera, the vague explanation fueled widespread speculation online.
“I saw what people were accusing us of and it was crazy,” he said. “If you’re going to kick us out, at least be honest. Just tell the true story, whatever your perspective is, but don’t be vague.”
The story was eventually picked up by FloGrappling, and Khera said it became one of the publication’s most-read articles of the year, largely due to Danis’ involvement.
As for his relationship with Marcelo Garcia, Khera revealed that the two have not spoken since the expulsion.
“Almost 10 years now,” he said.
The incident ultimately pushed Khera away from competitive jiu-jitsu and toward MMA. Rather than continue competing in tournaments where he might face former teammates under his old coach’s guidance, he chose a different path.
“There was a chance Marcelo was going to be coaching against me and my old friends and teammates are potentially cheering against me,” Khera said. “That was really hard on me.”
