Marlon Tajik won silver at ADCC 2026 a few weeks ago and became the first athlete from Sweden to medal at the event. Now he has shared a story most fans had never heard. On the Jits and Giggles podcast, Tajik said that when he was 14 he changed his age in the sign-up system so he could fight older kids. He got caught and was banned from competing in Sweden for one year.
A blue belt and two extra years
Tajik started Japanese jiu-jitsu at age 7 and switched to Brazilian jiu-jitsu at around 11. By 14, he says, the kids his age were no longer a challenge. He would ride up to six hours to a tournament and beat the same opponents again. So he and his dad came up with a plan: sign up in the juvenile division, against 16- and 17-year-olds.
To do that, he had to change two things. He was still a green belt, but he started competing in a blue belt. Then he went into Smoothcomp, the website used to sign up for tournaments, and changed his birth year from 2003 to 2001. “I changed my age to 2001 so I was 16 years old,” he said.
It worked for a whole year. Tajik says he won every tournament he entered. The staff knew him so well that they didn’t check his ID at weigh-ins.
How he got caught
The problem started when he ran into old teammates in his brackets. They knew who he was, and someone reported him to the Swedish federation. At his last tournament before the ban, he admitted what he had done. He was still allowed to compete that day, back in his green belt. Then came the punishment: one year with no competition in Sweden, and a warning that doing it again would mean a lifetime ban.
A year off the mats
With no tournaments to train for, Tajik lost interest. He says he skipped practice to play video games and hang out with friends. Sometimes he even hid from his coach so he wouldn’t have to roll. Things changed about two weeks before the Swedish Open, after a big argument with his dad. His dad signed him up in the adult division, one weight class above his friends.
Tajik was out of shape. He says he threw up after almost every practice before the tournament. He still won. He submitted his first opponent in about 90 seconds, won his second match 27-2, and finished the final with a submission from the back.
From banned to the ADCC podium
Today Tajik is 23 and a black belt under André Galvão. He earned his spot at ADCC 2026 by winning the second European Trials in Belgrade in February. In Krakow, Poland, he made it to the final of the under-88kg (194 lb) division and lost to Poland’s Pawel Jaworski by one penalty. It was the first ADCC final between two Europeans since 1999. He also fought for bronze in the absolute (open weight) division and lost to Ruslan Abdulaev.
Fans are split on this one. Some see a kid who broke the rules. Others see a teenager who lied about his age to get tougher matches, which is the opposite of what cheaters usually do. What do you think: was a one-year ban fair?
