The relationship is close and very physical, but we both insist it's not romantic.

Is it your direct instructor or someone 'higher'? What is your training relationship with this person?

Can anyone help out this veteran #FuckTheIBJJF https://jitsmagazine.com/[...]U4RbFRxt0M

Can anyone help out this veteran #FuckTheIBJJF https://jitsmagazine.com/[...]U4RbFRxt0M

I'm pretty sure that IBJJF will recognize Inoue's black belt if he just goes through their registration process correctly and has a certified professor in the system to approve him. Shouldn't be any issues there. Same with Lister. The articles and social media posts are purposely sensationalizing it. However, he can't just register as a 5th degree or even as a 'professor' of his own school who can sign for black belts (that needs an IBJJF-sanctioned 2nd degree), since he hasn't been paying. The Federation only recognizes the years towards your stripes in which you have paid for the membership. Simple as that. So yup, if you want to compete or have your students compete in the IBJJF championships, you have to jump through their hoops. It might be bullshit, but that's their system, for all (well maybe not if you're friends with Carlos), even if you're Enson Inoue.

I'm pretty sure that IBJJF will recognize Inoue's black belt if he just goes through their registration process correctly and has a certified professor in the system to approve him. Shouldn't be any issues there. Same with Lister. The articles and social media posts are purposely sensationalizing it. However, he can't just register as a 5th degree or even as a 'professor' of his own school who can sign for black belts (that needs an IBJJF-sanctioned 2nd degree), since he hasn't been paying. The Federation only recognizes the years towards your stripes in which you have paid for the membership. Simple as that. So yup, if you want to compete or have your students compete in the IBJJF championships, you have to jump through their hoops. It might be bullshit, but that's their system, for all (well maybe not if you're friends with Carlos), even if you're Enson Inoue.

...if it was about the money, they would have not bothered Christian about the membership issue, they would be charging and approving people left and right. They cut out a good chunk of change by not letting the Globetrotters operate under the IBJJF as a team.

I disagree. The IBJJF is a very good business run by very good business people. By banning Globetrotters, they've been able to continue to filter and channel the same funds through other mediums into Carlson Jr's pockets, and simultaneously seek to obstruct a future threat to their business model. I can think of a small handful of ways that they're actually going to get richer by banning Globetrotters: 1) The same people who compete or wish to compete in IBJJF tournaments are still going to do just that, but now they're going to have to find different means to do so. Inevitably, some of these competitors will be forced to go through Gracie Barra and other organizations that are somehow connected to the guys at the top of the pyramid scheme. For example, if Athlete A is paying directly to the IBJJF for their membership under the Globetrotters organization, this is only one way that they get money. If Athlete A is forced to link up with someone in Gracie Barra, for example, they are presumably paying money to GB on top of IBJJF membership fees, and therefore those funds help to keep the GB gym afloat, which means more money for Carlos Jr in the form of affiliation fees, mandatory seminars, etc. 2) The guys toward the top of the pyramid have been paying into it, presumably for years, and they're obviously looking for a return on their investment. The IBJJF knows that there's no way that these guys are just going to abandon the IBJJF at this point in favor of some new/better/more responsible 'anarchist' BJJ movement, as the flow of cash would be bypassing them as well. 3) BJJ Globetrotters is also a very successful business, although they're mere peons in comparison to the IBJJF monolith... and the IBJJF would love to keep it that way. While The Graugart isn't necessarily in direct competition with the IBJJF, per se, I also don't think that the IBJJF is really sure that he won't eventually become a direct threat to the organization in more obvious ways. If you register under Globetrotters, you're more likely to go to the camps, buy the gear, talk about your BJJ conspiracy theories on forums like this one ;) and otherwise buy into the 'non-traditional' ethos of BJJ Globetrotters which may empower and embolden you to question the status quo to yourself and to others. So, yeah, it's a good business move on their part so you can't really blame them when they're just a profit-driven business trying to make more profits. And by the way, if they find me dead in my gym some day soon, I think we'll all know why. #bobbymcmastersdidntkillhimself

Their reputation as being the only way to make a name for yourself in BJJ is dwindling. There's an ever increasing conglomerate of practitioners that can give 2 shits about the IBJJF and as the years go on, as submission only grows, that group will grow even bigger!

As far as gi grappling goes, they're basically it. When Buchecha starts adding 'Grappling Industries World Champ' to his resume, then maybe I'll start believing we have a chance. Lol. But no-gi grappling, on the other hand, has come a long way since I started, and I agree that it's helped get a lot more people excited about BJJ, and it's nice to see that some grapplers can even make a living this way, and getting paid by promotions and all that. Thank you for signing off on my ibjjf paperwork, btw! I competed in Masters Worlds last year and had an awesome time! Since my current sensei, Master YouTube isn't ibjjf certified, it's nice having beltchecker and Globetrotters around so that a complete stranger can help an old brown belt fight other old brown belts in Las Vegas. Unfortunately it looks like I'm gonna have to find a new ibjjf sugar daddy for the time being.