Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has long prided itself on being a welcoming, apolitical space – but according to veteran instructor Stephan Kesting, that belief doesn’t hold up under scrutiny.
Speaking on a recent episode of the Fighting Matters podcast, Kesting argued that politics have always been baked into the DNA of Jiu-Jitsu…Whether practitioners realize it or not:
Jiu-Jitsu has never been free of politics.
There’s a reason that Helio Gracie didn’t spend and his brothers didn’t spend decades in jail after ambushing a catch wrestler that they’d lost to in the ring, jumping on him four or five to one, beating the crap out of him with brass knuckles, and then when he’s unconscious, breaking his arm, getting arrested, going to jail, and then getting bailed out – because of political connections to the Brazilian military.
Kesting was referring to the infamous 1931 incident between the Gracie brothers and catch wrestler Manoel Rufino dos Santos.It was an episode in BJJ history that resulted in criminal charges and eventual pardons, likely aided by their ties to Brazilian military and political figures.
Another host shared a personal anecdote from the time of the Ferguson protests:
I remember the day I was at a weekend workshop and it was during the Ferguson riots…And I overheard people that I had trained with for years – hoping that the police did this and that to the protesters.
I was like: “Holy, I’m surrounded by racists and I had no idea.”That day changed everything for me.
Kesting continued to expand on how politics has long shaped BJJ, even in its formative years:
Helio Gracie was part of a fascist movement in Brazil in the 1930s.
Kesting was referring to the Integralist movement in Brazil, a nationalist movement that mirrored aspects of European fascism at the time.
He concluded with a comparison about the wider combat sports world:
If you take a look at the situation in MMA, it’s hard to believe that there’s a space more fascist and right-wing than Jiu-Jitsu, but I will give you MMA.
Sloth Jiu-Jitsu: you can be slow and unathletic and still kick butt in Jiu-Jitsu.
