If you’ve trained Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for a while, then you’ll be well aware of Jackson Sousa. He is a black belt Worlds champion in no gi and has many other accomplishments to his name. However, in some shocking news he was recently called out by one of his ex students, Samantha Cook who claimed he tried to use his position of power to coerce her into a sexual relationship.
This happened whilst the pair trained together in London, and Sousa has a Checkmat gym in the Hammersmith area of the city. Cook is a gold medalist at the Euros as a black belt and is also the partner of Bradley Hill.
This complaint prompted more women to come forward who also told their own stories, one even claimed that he tried to engage in oral sex with her whilst she showered.
Since then, Jackson Sousa has been suspended by Checkmat with the leader of the organizaion Leo Vieira investigating these matters, whilst his long-term sponsor Shoyoroll also dropped him completely, adding, “The seriousness of the allegations cannot be ignored and this sort of behavior should no longer be tolerated or normalized. Our sport has evolved over many decades and with that growth has come the participation and inclusion of more and more women.”
This story came to light shortly after Mo Jassim exposed the supposed potential support for Marcel Goncalves by the Fight Sports Miami team. Since then, further allegations of sexual misconduct have come to light with more stepping forward.
