PHOENIX, AZ — After three years of working regional and state-level BJJ competitions across the Southwest, head referee Gerald Pittman has been confirmed by multiple sources to have never trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu, or any other grappling art, or any martial art, or any sport involving physical contact between two people.
“He refereed my match at the Arizona Open last April,” said blue belt competitor Marcus Foley, 29. “I was in a tight triangle. The guy was tapping. Gerald was leaning over us, watching very closely, and then he called stalling on me. On the bottom. I was choking somebody.”
Pittman, 52, reportedly came to BJJ officiating through a career in youth soccer refereeing and, before that, a brief stint as a Little League umpire. He describes his transition to grappling as “pretty smooth, honestly,” noting that the basic concept — two people, one winner — “translates.”
He has called advantages for things that are not advantages. He has missed heel hooks so obvious that spectators in the bleachers were yelling the rule at him. At the 2024 Desert Classic, he reportedly stopped a match to warn a competitor about an “illegal slam” during what was, by all witness accounts, a normal guard pass.
“He walked over, got down at eye level, watched a kimura attempt for about four seconds, and then stood up and said ‘nice work,’” recalled one black belt who was competing that day. “To no one. He just said it to the air.”
Tournament organizers have confirmed Pittman is “certified,” pointing to a weekend seminar he attended in 2021 run by an organization whose website has since been taken down. His certification card lists his specialty as “sport grappling (general).”
Competitors have filed seventeen formal complaints over three years. Twelve have been closed. Five are described on the tournament’s website as “under review,” a status that has not changed since October 2023.
Gerald Pittman is scheduled to referee four more events this fall. He is reportedly “excited for the season.”