No-Gi silver medalist received a one-year ban from the IBJJF for giving the gold medalist the finger on the podium.
Read about his reaction and why it was a just suspension below.
Sebastian Attard Gets the Ban Hammer
3x No-Gi medalist Sebastián Attard decided to be cheeky on the podium and give the gold medalist the finger. The organization didn’t think it was so funny and gave Attard the ban hammer.
Sebastian will have to compete elsewhere in 2025 to stay busy. From his post on Instagram, Attard was a but surprised by the ban.
He posted a photoshopped image of a bouquet of flowers in place of his middle finger.“RULES UPDATE: being cheeky is NOT ALLOWED… sooo @adcc_official you got a trials coming up?? @pgfworld I can make 175 btw.”-Attard
Was the IBJJF Ban Warranted?
If you’re oblivious, like Sebastian, the IBJJF has a zero-tolerance policy on athlete misconduct. This isn’t the first time, nor will it be the last time the organization gives an ignorant athlete a ban.
The IBJJF notably disqualified Pat Downey for taunting at the same event. Two years ago, Nicholas Meregali was also disqualified for giving a heckler the finger.
A for commenters on social media sites have stated that this was a joke between the two, but the winner has not stated anything publicly about the incident.
Either, If you’re going to compete for the IBJJF, you have to keep your antics in check.
Bobby is martial artist for almost 20 years with a BJJ black belt under Professor Sergio Miranda. He is also a karate black and former combat sports athlete, who loves all things grappling.
