Blunders Amongst Living History
Bret Gordon has proven he has built his so-called history on nothing more than a convoluted bed of lies...and the problem is he can't even lie well. The latest “correction” of Bret Gordon’s own martial history is one of many and it is becoming increasingly common for him to do these when caught in a lie. For a person who has described himself as a historian and also a respectable journalist...he seems to make a lot of mistakes and has to make a lot of these corrections.
Over time Bret has made so many corrections he has ultimately proven himself to be either
A.) Totally and completely incompetent
or
B.) A pathological lair.
If we are to buy into his latest "correction" he expects his readers to believe that family members somehow didn't know what Sirbaugh actually looked like as a young man, especially not even his own step-son Steven Hatfield.
Then there is the matter of where the picture, which was watermarked, actually came from. In some entries on Bret's sites it has been intentionally cropped out. Yet on others it wasn't cropped. Kaiso Krispy Kreme didn't check the water mark? Didn't go trace it? In five years not once does he seem to have done so. Wow, some historian. The picture here, not of Sirbaugh but of a gentleman named Seiberlich in a class was from 1959 and was literally found in few minutes. It was NOT difficult at all. Kaiso, I have to ask, do donuts make you stupid too?
Let's find out.
Blunders Amongst Living History
By Gerald Greysmith
Corrections All Around!
If Bret Gordon is so incompetent in his research when it comes to his own history and background then I say he has no business (or intelligence) when it comes to writing about other martial artists and their backgrounds. Gordon should probably stick to being a menial level warehouse security officer in an unarmed capacity. Mere facts seem to perplex and challenge his apparently limited mental capabilities. He appears to keep demonstrating quite frequently that he is wrong more often than correct, that is if we were to believe his numerous (and I mean numerous) “corrections”. He certainly has disparaged a handful of legitimate martial artists and organizations in his time. Gordon does this and all the while he can't get his own background straight so why does he feel the need to constantly correct others about theirs, write disparaging articles about it, or try and silence his detractors through what could best be described as hit-pieces he writes on any of his own blogs/sites?
I mean his entire Jidokwan lineage up to the "LiNk To KoReA" has fell apart "irrelevant of who his and Hatfield's teachers were." Yet this is the man who presents himself as an authority on the art of Jidokwan Karate? I hate to say this being it is obvious but who taught you IS important. Does this mean they used a fake lineage to get Korea to endorse them?
Gordon has often stated that he is a "living historian." Historians generally have advanced diplomas like a Ph.D in a dedicated area of history or degrees in similar field of study. By his own admission he has no degree and only attended one semester of college. In fact in the real world it is a requirement to have a degree in history for the privilege of referring to oneself as a "historian." He has also referred to himself as a journalist, another occupation that requires a degree in journalism. These necessary requirements for actual journalists and real historians only apply to them but never for Bret Gordon. Apparently he can just pop up, bypass the requirements that pertain to those areas of expertise and announce that he is one. No real experience, no real education. Just a man and his word...and his word is often found to fail.
--I mean he had no issue trying to call my predecessor or his friend out on their requirements over two years ago. Yet here we are having to question all of his AGAIN.--
New Developments and Programs
Gordon recently posted he received his blackbelt in Gracie Jiu Jitsu. I am willing to bet purchased this title from another rank mill or similar type of organization that he seems quite fond of joining. The path to a black belt in Gracie Jiu Jitsu or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (since he wishes to distinguish) is an eight to ten year path MINIMUM. Why, just several months ago he was posting how he received his blue belt and here we are, mere months later and he has attained a black belt.
Again this is something that takes typically several years to attain. A blue belt alone usually takes around two solid years of training. From blue to black is easily another seven or eight on average. Bret must be a jiujitsu savant of some kind! Gordon Ryan or BJ Penn must have given him a blood transfusion at some point! To obtain a black belt not only by bypassing the time restraints and two other belts, but also "due to his vast experience." What an accomplishment! I mean he did attend four classes while training as a teenager under his original sensei in Florida.
However, what is written on paper and what is proven on the mat are now and always will be two very different things.
And Gracie/Brazilian Jiu Jitsu isn't his only grappling black belt! I think I should remind everyone that the very first rank Gordon claimed in that area was a fourth-degree black belt in Judo. Like magic it was just posted on his website one day. This claim came along with a Kodokan card that he and his teacher then claimed was proof of rank and Gordon himself stated to my predecessor on the phone way back in 2020, "was an endorsement from the Kodokan." It was obvious he had absolutely no idea about the card as it is not proof of rank nor any kind of endorsement from the Kodokan at all but merely a glorified gym membership. After being obliterated with this claim Bret changed his rank multiple times online before settling with (in essence giving himself) a second-degree black belt, which he is now stating he was recently promoted to third.
So the venerated Kaiso started with the claim to be a yondan, or fourth-degree black belt from the Kodokan, the headquarters and birthplace of Judo in Japan and then he settled for a nidan, or second-degree from a lesser-known organization that isn’t affiliated with the Kodokan? If he thinks people would buy that then Bret is a special kind of stupid. One simply has to ask: did Bret fart and blow the last brain cell out of his mind?
The very article that brought Gordon under such scrutiny to this day was the one he himself wrote about a longtime and legitimate Judoka, Barron Shepherd, who called him out on this matter. My predecessor literally debunked Bret’s entire article just as quickly as it was written. In it Gordon accused Barron of the very things that he himself was caught doing such as fabricating a history using non-existent people or those deceased. Gordon literally exposed himself and in the process he also exposed another fraud, Gary Lee, who had made his own false claims in Bret’s article regarding one of Shepherd’s instructors. Alas his lies seem to expand right along with his waistline.
Samantha Lonewolf brought up a valid point in one of her statements regarding the expose' on Gary Lee and ultimately Bret Gordon. For those that don’t know Samantha is the daughter of Sam Lonewolf who passed away in 2013. This means Gordon wrote disparaging statements about a man who was deceased for over seven years just to take a hit at Shepherd, and Gordon wasted no time in trashing both of them in his article claiming Lonewolf had "multiple tenth dans," as well as saying Barron's Judo teacher was nonexistent. To clarify Lonewolf only ever had a hachidan in Kajukenbo/Kenpo and he never claimed higher. Samantha points out that her father had no beef with Gordon and in turn Gordon had no reason to insert her father into his article on Shepherd. Her father was gone and could not readily defend himself. She asked point blank why didn't Gordon just settle his differences with Barron man to man? Well, probably because:
1.) Bret knew everything he wrote about Barron was a lie and if he didn't he was informed by the previous Gerald and Cayce Lancaster via a phone call.
2) Bret wasn’t above lying about Barron’s other instructors.
3.) Bret doesn’t have the skills he claims to have.
4.) Bret would be exposed as a liar if he did, or at the least completely wrong.
5.) Bret is a coward.
Remember the point I brought up earlier?
What is written on paper and what is proven on the mat are two different things. Legit Judoka and BJJ practitioners have zero problems rolling with anyone.
Still Correct To This Day?
Bret has repeated himself several times to me that his article was correct when he wrote it. Well it seems everytime he writes something he has to turn and ultimately correct it, doesn't he? At the minimum he has to give one of his many "edits" which avoids saying he is wrong or some other statement that skirts the issue.
Bret Gordon lives at most forty minutes away from Barron Shepherd. And according to Gordon he now holds a black belt ranking in both Judo and Gracie Jiu Jitsu. Barron holds no ranks in BJJ or GJJ but Judo only, so what is the problem? One match with Barron could prove or disprove Gordon's claims. If he truly is a legitimate black belt in both surely he has nothing to worry about getting on the mat with someone who is only a black belt in Judo alone.
But we know Bret’s penchant for calling the cops and/or threatening to if anyone shows up at his dojo. So surely Bret would have zero problems driving to the BJJ school where Barron teaches at maybe? That would be the perfect place for a black belt in Gracie Jiu Jitsu to put a Judoka that he claims is a fraud in his place.
Unless Bret, Barron really isn’t a fraud then you have plenty to be concerned about and you are only a paper tiger.
The BJJ community doesn’t take kindly to phony black belts or those who cut corners to get it and they should not at all tolerate such stupidity. All should take serious offense to Bret Gordon and the manner in which he does things. Bret has opened a door to more than he realizes and yes, Bret Gordon is that stupid. I have since stopped asking my self how stupid can he be because it seems that he takes that as a challenge especially with this last attempted “correction." Gordon is now left holding the bag to prove if Sirbaugh ever really trained in anything at all. Where's the evidence?
With all these many corrections in full display all he proves is that his own statements cannot be construed as fact. Nothing he states can be held as remotely reliable information as it can be changed accordingly to suit his needs. The Sieberlich Moo Duk Kwan Photo held the water mark, it was the first picture in the 1959 gallery, the man who was circled in yellow turned out to NOT be Sirbaugh, and was the only one identified. That was a serious mistake Gordon would have you believe was the fault of some mystery family member who also didn't know what Sirbaugh looked like, either. Now the only picture they had of Sirbaugh's alleged training is gone from his site as is any real or tangible evidence they could have had to say the man was ever involved in the martial arts. But hey, they have that new patch found in a drawer somewhere, right? Which magically appeared around the time they met up with some of Herrington's students. Funny how that happens, isn't it?
Who could have been stupid enough to miss all the information that took all of half an hour to locate, identify and present? Bret Gordon. Yes indeed, it is safe to say he is that ignorant and he expects his readers and supporters to be just as dumb.
One has to wonder what other blunders in his history he will uncover and use his disclaimer to hide behind. I can hardly wait. But I doubt I have much time to wait. He is one of my loyal followers on social media, after all.
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