08/25/2026
We want to provide some context regarding the incident that has been circulating online.
This individual appeared to be in serious distress, and we genuinely hope he gets the professional help and support he needs. He entered our academy shirtless, yelling, cursing, making threats, and behaving in a way we perceived as looking for a confrontation. Had he entered looking for a calm dialogue between adults, this situation would have been completely different.
We repeatedly asked him to leave peacefully. Instead, the situation continued to escalate. He was flailing his arms, balling his fists, making threats, and ultimately threatened to come back and hurt us. With children, teenagers, and families in the academy, we could not ignore that behavior.
We do not condone unnecessary violence. Our goal was to remove him from the academy and gain control of a situation that was getting out of hand. Once we were able to get him outside, he became even more visibly upset and aggressive. After repeated attempts to calm the situation, we ultimately restrained him to prevent things from escalating further.
Was a double-leg the only possible choice? Maybe not. But in a rapidly escalating situation, the goal was simple: control the situation without turning it into a fight.
We will always try to de-escalate first, but we will not allow our students, staff, or families to be threatened or intimidated in their own academy.
Most importantly, we’re thankful this behavior came to light before this individual progressed further in his jiu-jitsu training. Our responsibility will always be to protect the safe environment our members trust us to provide.
