Patreon: https://patreon.com/UnknownPressures | In this episode of Unknown Pressures we discuss the tragic and horrifying case of a black belt who was paralysed as the result of an illegal move in a tournament, the war of words between Andrew Tackett and Mateusz Szczecinski, and the recent changes to the ADCC 2026 line-up that could signal the true start of the war of grappling promotions.

Scroll to the bottom of this post for timestamps for this episode.

Episode 46 of Unknown Pressures is out now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and everywhere else.

Support us on Patreon for extended episodes, early access, bonus content and more!

Unknown Pressures is a jiu-jitsu podcast brought to you by two long-time industry insiders: Matt Benyon, the co-founder of Scramble and Polaris, and Hywel Teague, jiu-jitsu / grappling commentator and analyst.

Please leave us a review on Apple/Spotify Podcasts:

Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unknown-pressures-a-jiu-jitsu-podcast/id1838001583

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/61hk0ul9sltg2sKJyPNnjo?si=480898a6fb244b8a

Follow Unknown Pressures on IG: https://www.instagram.com/unknownpressures

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Timestamps

0:00 Black belt breaks neck in Brazil

19:26 UFC BJJ 10: Good matches, meh event

29:17 Tackett vs Szczecinski's war of words

31:52 A quick Paddy Pimblett story

33:09 Can Tackett vs Szczecinski ever happen?

43:46 The political sponsor of UFC BJJ

Patreon: https://patreon.com/UnknownPressures | Nicholas Meregali is one of the greatest grapplers in the world, but his social media game leaves a lot to be desired.

When he's not posting selfies, he's talking trash to his opponents and taunting them ahead of their matches. Case in point: his upcoming bout with Felipe Pena. Meregali pulled off a strange stunt that left many people shocked and confused by announcing only 10 days out from the match that he was withdrawing for personal reasons, only to recant his statement less than 24 hours later and reveal it was all a prank.

Genius promotion for a match that was otherwise getting little traction outside of the Portuguese-speaking community, or ill-advised stunt that probably had the promoters in a twist? We discuss this and more in this week's episode of Unknown Pressures.

Also in this episode:

• Jiu-jitsu has a TRT problem, and it's worse than you think
• Can a professional grappler completely ignore posting to social media?
• UFC BJJ's Open tournaments are shaping up very differently to how we expected
• Q&A time! We opened our inboxes and respond to your questions...

Scroll to the bottom of this post for timestamps for this episode.

Episode 45 of Unknown Pressures is out now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and everywhere else.

Support us on Patreon for extended episodes, early access, bonus content and more!

Unknown Pressures is a jiu-jitsu podcast brought to you by two long-time industry insiders: Matt Benyon, the co-founder of Scramble and Polaris, and Hywel Teague, jiu-jitsu / grappling commentator and analyst.

Please leave us a review on Apple/Spotify Podcasts:

Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unknown-pressures-a-jiu-jitsu-podcast/id1838001583

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/61hk0ul9sltg2sKJyPNnjo?si=480898a6fb244b8a

Follow Unknown Pressures on IG: https://www.instagram.com/unknownpressures

Follow Matt on IG: https://www.instagram.com/matthew.benyon

Follow Hywel on IG: https://www.instagram.com/hywelteague

Timestamps

0:00 Nicholas Meregali tried to rug pull the jiu-jitsu world

11:06 Let’s be honest here, TRT is a PED

24:39 How NOT to do social media as a pro athlete

33:48 UFC BJJ Opens: a success with the kids

41:25 Q&A: Sakuraba vs Aoki, who has the better legacy?

Patreon: https://patreon.com/UnknownPressures | For all their best efforts, UFC BJJ hasn't exactly exploded onto the scene and taken over the grappling world quite as quickly or as effectively as they maybe hoped. And two recent news items illustrate that perfectly.

First Andrew Tackett is struggling with a problem that highlights what is maybe UFC's issue. The divisions aren't that deep and people are signing the contracts, which means their champions can't get decent matches.

On the other hand, UFC BJJ is staring at a problem entirely of their own making. Arranging for Mikey Musumeci to produce saucy content with an influencer is maybe the worst marketing decisions made by the UFC BJJ to date. C'mon guys, seriously?

Also in this episode:

• Matt regales us of tales from inside Los Banditos
• Level Black is the new Tapout
• An active UFC fighter signs up for Masters Worlds
• Dillon Danis vs Arman Tsarukyan!
• Patreon exclusive: Teen girl claim major achievement in jiu-jitsu
• Patreon exclusive: Who's coaching the coaches?

Episode 44 of Unknown Pressures is out now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and everywhere else.

Support us on Patreon for extended episodes, early access, bonus content and more!

Unknown Pressures is a jiu-jitsu podcast brought to you by two long-time industry insiders: Matt Benyon, the co-founder of Scramble and Polaris, and Hywel Teague, jiu-jitsu / grappling commentator and analyst.

Please leave us a review on Apple/Spotify Podcasts:

Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unknown-pressures-a-jiu-jitsu-podcast/id1838001583

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/61hk0ul9sltg2sKJyPNnjo?si=480898a6fb244b8a

Follow Unknown Pressures on IG: https://www.instagram.com/unknownpressures

Follow Matt on IG: https://www.instagram.com/matthew.benyon

Follow Hywel on IG: https://www.instagram.com/hywelteague