2020 was a year that changed everything for so many of us, especially within the martial arts and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community. Between the rise of COVID-19 and the George Floyd protests for police accountability that took place across the nation, we began to learn that our friends, family, and even our training partners were not the people we thought they were.

In the already “macho” culture of combat sports in which many gyms are not LGBTQ+ friendly or are deeply misogynistic, we quickly discovered that several spaces – even those we initially thought safe – carried an undercurrent of anti-BLM sentiments or bought into and platformed wild conspiracies in regards to a very deadly pandemic. For many of us, this felt like a punch to the gut.

Even after coming back from initial COVID lockdowns and trying to fall back into the routine of training, many of us felt out of place. In larger gyms where it is difficult to receive individualized attention from coaches, we felt even more isolated by the experience; lost in a sea of faces we no longer recognized. It was a jarring experience to feel like we no longer held shared values with the people we spend our free time with.

This is why we decided to become affiliated with Sucker Free Jiu-Jitsu. We found a coach in Weiss Sakhizada that much of the BJJ community was severely lacking. As the son of Afghan refugees, Weiss was no stranger to the unique challenges and crises BJJ put out in the open during 2020. Having been a Jiu-Jitsu coach in various gyms before opening Sucker Free in 2017, Weiss had seen his share of casual bigotry often overlooked and ignored by others.

When the pandemic struck, Weiss was forced to close the doors of Sucker Free for a time and operate on a pop-up basis. Eventually, he was teaching out of the back of a Boost Mobile store. While it may not seem like an ideal situation, Weiss managed to continue his winning ways in competition against high level black belts until he was able to open up his new gym on a referral-only basis. Today, Sucker Free is thriving.

But a winning record and perseverance aren’t what drew us to becoming an affiliate of Sucker Free, though they certainly helped. What really drew us in was the sense of equity and social justice that Weiss gave off. When he came to visit Academic Grappling he jumped at the chance to assist with our unhoused outreach via Mutual Aid Over Everything – the organization partially funded by our membership dues – and was friendly, compassionate, and empathetic to those we met that day. Despite the freezing cold temperatures, he stood outside and helped make pancakes, pass out food and supplies, and did his best to make our neighbors comfortable.

Weiss has managed to continue strong in the sport as a coach and as a competitor, but beyond that he has used his voice and platform to be a strong advocate for social justice initiatives. While many other Jiu-Jitsu gyms may do the occasional bit of charity work, it is a breath of fresh air to have a coach who embodies the values he promotes.