When asked about grooming allegations in BJJ and whether he would let his hypothetical daughter train, Mitchell responded with a clear affirmative.
“I sure would. I have no problem with girls training jiu-jitsu. I mean, it’s awesome,”
he stated. However, the bantamweight MMA star acknowledged that predatory behavior exists in the sport much like anywhere else.
Mitchell is aware of the reality that attractive women in any environment may attract unwanted attention.
“Anytime there’s a woman, especially the more attractive women, they’re going to be followed by predators. So, that’s a fact,”
he explained, stressing the importance of vigilance within training spaces.
The UFC bantamweight then outlined his personal approach to mixed-gender training.
“I’m not big on, like as if you’re a guy fig hter, you don’t have to train with the girls a bunch,”
Mitchell said. He explained his philosophy:
“(If) there’s a girl that wants to roll with you and it would really make her day or something, I don’t think it’s a sin to go roll with her. But in general, if you’re a guy (), generally just let the girls train with smaller guys or other girls.”
Mitchell revealed his own practice of waiting to be approached rather than initiating training with female practitioners.
“If they ask you, that’s fine. But I don’t even go up to girls and ask for rounds. I really don’t. I’m a male and I need to train against other males,”
he stated.
The MMA star shared a recent experience from his gym opening where he trained with a high school female wrestler. His protective instincts were clear when discussing potential misconduct.
“If I saw anybody trying to do anything funky to this girl in my gym, dude, I would bury them. I mean, you’re not going to prey on people around me and my gym or whatever or my daughter especially.”
Mitchell concluded his thoughts by emphasizing the importance of accountability within the BJJ community.
“We don’t want p*rverts in the sport. We got to hold each other accountable. And I’m glad that people do,”
he said, noting that open conversations about these issues help maintain safety standards and deterrence.
Mitchell went on to name his bout against Kron Gracie as his favorite all time performance. While there’s a lot of things Mitchell says that are historically questionable it’s good to see that he’s willing to do his best to provide a fostering enviroment in his own gym.
