What happened to Kit Dale? At one time not too long ago, it was almost impossible to escape the Australian funnyman. From his hilarious comedy skits to his thrilling performances in world-class tournaments, Dale became a household name in the jiu-jitsu community.


That was until he destroyed his knee playing Australian rules football in March 2015.

"I took some time off. My motivation had dissolved, and I really wasn't taking competition seriously," Dale said.

I took a few months off and started playing some Aussie rules football. With 20 seconds left in the match, I pivoted at high speed, and my knee gave way from under me, fully rupturing my ACL, partially tearing my MCL, LCL, PCL, and splitting my lateral meniscus all the way through.

The injury resulted in a full knee reconstruction, but Dale had to wait nine long months before he could get the surgery.

The aftermath was a miserable slog back to recovery, with Dale kept far away from a jiu-jitsu mat in the meantime.

"I was bedridden for around a month and heavily debilitated for the next two," he said. "Days consisted of basically laying in bed, icing it every hour, and rehabilitation exercises three times a day."


Kit Dale faces off against Matt Secor at IBJJF 2016 No-Gi Worlds: Photo: Mike Calimbas

It's been nine months since surgery, and Dale was ordered by his physical therapist that he's not allowed to compete until March of next year.

Against orders, Dale competed at the No-Gi Worlds on November 5 in San Francisco and did a couple of small warm-up competitions in Australia before that.

"My return to competition was a very dangerous call for me," Dale said. "I knew the dangers of coming back this soon. But I made a conscious decision with myself that I would be ready to tap in an instant if my knee was attacked in any way, or I'd be willing to give up positions to avoid any damage."


This sentiment was heightened by the fact Dale only had a few weeks of training under his belt prior to the tournament. Not only did he make it through without getting injured but he also put 23 points on his first opponent at No-Gi Worlds.

"I felt technically great," he said. "And I think my game plan was perfect for both fights. My style probably threw him [Matt Secor] off a little bit, and I could see his confidence slowly dim during our match.


Kit Dale versus Matt Secor at IBJJF 2016 No-Gi Worlds. Photo: Mike Calimbas

"The second match against Mathew Diniz was a much harder match up for me. I knew the big question mark in this match was my conditioning. In the end we were tied on advantages, and he got the better of me in the standup in the last minute of the match, jumping on my back and eventually sinking the choke. I felt I could have defended the choke, but there was no coming back at this point so I was happier to tap than have him on my back the whole minute! Gotta think smart in my old age."

Don't call it a comeback just yet, as Dale says he's still not quite the athlete he used to be. He's fielding various offers for 2017 and has one eye on the IBJJF European Championships in January and said there's still plenty more to come from him.

In a few months when my knee heals and my timing and conditioning come back, we will see me in my final form. Then I will really start to turn heads again.