A Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner known as “Jane Doe” has come forward with serious allegations of s*xual misconduct against Adam Zugec, head coach and owner of Zuma Martial Arts in Victoria, British Columbia.
Her account, shared during a recent podcast appearance on Fighting Matters, details a pattern of inappropriate behavior that escalated over her year-and-a-half training period at the academy.
Jane, a one-stripe white belt who had never previously trained in combat sports, joined Zuma after a friend’s recommendation. What began as comments about her appearance quickly evolved into more disturbing behavior.
“He made comments about my face. He made comments about my body. I had a lot of leering. And specifically, he stared a lot at my chest,” Jane recounted during the interview.
The allegations include inappropriate conversations about her personal life, unwanted physical contact, and instances where Zugec allegedly showed explicit images on his phone during training sessions. Jane described one particularly troubling incident at a Christmas party held at Zugec’s home, where she says he offered to photograph her in what she interpreted as an attempt to obtain explicit photos, manipulating her grief over her mother’s recent death.
The breaking point came during a gi class in June when Zugec allegedly forced Jane into rolling with him despite her repeated refusals. “I spent a minute and a half, maybe 2 minutes, telling him no. And just saying like, I don’t want to roll with you. I don’t want to touch you,” Jane explained. When she explicitly told him he didn’t have consent, he allegedly pulled her lapel and initiated the roll anyway.
Following Jane’s decision to share her experience on Reddit as a public service announcement, eleven other women came forward with similar accounts. The stories revealed a pattern of alleged misconduct including inappropriate touching, sexual comments, and exploitation of power dynamics within the gym environment.
Jane noted that Zugec had what she described as a “cult-like following” that made it difficult for students to speak out or question his actions.
Jane emphasized the importance of creating awareness to prevent other women from experiencing similar situations. “I thought a lot of this was just sort of distasteful or crude or like not quite what I was expecting, but he was revered and I don’t use that word lightly within the gym,” Jane reflected.
Victoria Police are reportedly investigating the allegations. Several media outlets have covered the story, and many students have since left Zuma Martial Arts.
