HOW MUCH DO PROFESSIONAL JIU JITSU FIGHTERS MAKE?

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a dynamic, and competitive Martial Art, as the popularity of the sport is becoming well documented around the world. The competitive nature of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has risen considerably since its inception through the Mixed Martial Arts platform. Making money from BJJ is no easy task, as the cash prizes are on offer at many different grappling tournaments. With the rise of submission grappling, some of the world's best no gi jiu jitsu fighters are cashing in on events like the ADCC, Fight 2 Win, Who's Number One, the Quintet, the Eddie Bravo Invitational, Combat Jiu Jitsu, Metamoris Pro, and subversiv bjj. Practitioners that are trying to make a living out of professional grappling need to be exceptional, because unless they are winning every tournament, then it will become hard to support themselves.  

What This Article Covers:

• Choosing the Right Career Path
• How Much Money Do BJJ Fighters Make
• Other Ways to Cash in on BJJ
• Tournaments that Pay Cash Prizes

CHOOSING THE RIGHT CAREER PATH

Most young people dream of becoming doctors, lawyers, or fire fighters, but for the hard core kids that grow up wanting to be like Marcus Almeida, Marcelo Garcia, or Gordon Ryan, becoming a professional Martial Artist is well within their sights. There are many thrills attached to competing on the professional world circuit of grappling, as young athletes that make the transition will endure many ups and downs throughout their careers. Mixing it with the likes of Andre Galvao, Craig Jones, or Roger Gracie takes some serious hard work, innovation, and extensive athleticism. Often these young athletes ask can you make money in jiu jitsu, and if they play their cards right, then there is a lot of money they can chase. Winning is everything when an athlete needs the prize money to make a living, so they must be well versed in innovative techniques, as well as having a formidable will to win.

A great way to help an athlete become more of a seasoned competitor is strength and conditioning, as all of the top level competitors are incredibly strong, and have extremely durable body types. Choosing a career path that leads to the competitive circuit of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is indeed a hard road to walk, as they will need to train everyday, and build up their strength and conditioning to an extremely professional level. Even then, they are not guaranteed to win every tournament, but the good news about high level practitioners competing in BJJ, is there are other ways they can source a good income. 

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There are many different organisations that will pay athletes to compete on their shows, this includes BJJ fighters moving into Mixed Martial Arts, as platforms like the UFC, Strikeforce, and One Championship have a large following. Becoming a fighter is not for the faint hearted, as the athlete will endure through injuries, wins, and losses on their road to glory. The pathway of pure Brazilian Jiu Jitsu usually leads athletes to the IBJJF world championships.

Nowadays through the popularity of No Gi Jiu Jitsu, competitions like the ADCC, Who's Number One, and Metamoris Pro have paved the way for bigger cash prizes to be won during their competitions. Every year each competition gains more momentum, and more popularity through its televised streaming services. This works in the favour of many BJJ athletes, as the cash prizes will only rise. The ADCC is a prime example, as their recent prize for superfight wins has doubled, pushing up into the 5 digit stratosphere. Competing in BJJ can be an extremely exciting and profitable journey for many athletes, as they look to consolidate themselves as the best pound for pound grapplers on the planet.

HOW MUCH MONEY DO BJJ FIGHTERS MAKE

Becoming a high level BJJ fighter can be extremely rewarding, as some of these high level practitioners will make a lot of money. In terms of making money from their fights, there is not much remuneration involved in most competitions. Most of the big names in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu will win significant tournaments like the Eddie Bravo Invitational, the ADCC, or team events like Subversiv.

Some Fighters can make more than 200 thousand per year if they are winning most of the high level events around the world, but in comparison some fighters make zero, as they will be paying to enter competitions rather than making money. When BJJ first started and then evolved into the sport it is today, there were not many supporters, which makes paying athletes any kinds of wages extremely difficult. Nowadays as the cult like following of BJJ has become extremely popular around the world, many of the athletes are finding ways to make money out of the sport. Athletes will only usually make money if they win the event, as most organisations rely upon competitors' entry fees to pay for the event. There are some BJJ fighters that do get paid to compete, but this is usually very sporadic, and generally only for a high level fighter that brings in the fan base. 

There is a platform for BJJ students to receive different forms of scholarship programmes. There are foundations like the Hawaii Jiu Jitsu Kimono Scholarship, and the Footlocker Scholars Athletes Program. To qualify for this financial support, candidates must be attending a current high school, or are involved in a four year accredited United States educational institution, which is basically a college, or a university. Applicants must be active members of a high school sports team, or be involved in other sports related to Martial Arts. Students should also maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher at the beginning of the ninth grade in order to qualify. Leo Vieira also runs a rising stars BJJ scholarship program, where he will pay young athletes that have potential to become world champions of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Through his Checkmat academy, Leo is helping many young athletes discover their hidden talents, and develop their abilities, as they look to conquer their dreams of becoming world class athletes. 

OTHER WAYS TO CASH IN ON BJJ

Trying to make a living out of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu can be extremely difficult, as the money in the sport is definitely limited. Unless an athlete is a world class fighter like Gordon Ryan, Felipe Pena, or Andre Galvao, it is next to impossible to make money out of fighting inside the bjj comp system. There is the UFC, or Mixed Martial Arts avenue, that fighters can go through if they are skilful enough to step into the cage. This is quite common amongst exceptional BJJ athletes, as they look to set themselves up financially for later on in life. Most high level athletes will make money out of instructional videos, as nowadays there is a large number of exceptional athletes partnering up with bjjfanatics.com. Students all over the world are realising that they can learn from home, as the online technical content has become mainstream in today's grappling community. The market is flooded with different athletes showcasing many of their strengths in Jiu Jitsu. Students can also start their own YouTube channel, or Instagram feeds, which can also help them develop a significant revenue stream.

Seminars have become a huge draw card for athletes to make money in the modern day of grappling. Students are notorious for spending hundreds of dollars, and even thousands on seminars, or BJJ camps, especially when they are hosted by high level and famous grapplers. Considering how hard it is to win cash prizes, athletes will be able to make some significant revenue if they host their own seminars. Some students like to train in a one on one format, as opposed to a group session in BJJ. This will make way for athletes to make money off of private lessons, as most of these students will pay anywhere up to $200 per hour to receive instructional techniques from high level grapplers. Another good way for athletes to make money is to start their own academy. Although building a BJJ school has a significant outlay, and can take a couple of years to build up a considerable customer base. If an athlete perseveres then they will no doubt reap the rewards, as most academies become quite successful over time. Running an academy means that athletes are free to charge any price, as well as sell merchandise to their members, so the whole process can become extremely profitable, especially if the owner of the academy is a well known BJJ superstar. 

Some innovative Brazilian Jiu Jitsu athletes go on to start their own BJJ competitions, as they can see the value in hosting events to help bolster their finances. Running Jiu Jitsu competitions can be extremely hard, as well as risky, as they will mostly rely on students to pay money to enter. Tournaments that are well known are usually jam packed with competitors, which can result in some extensive profits, but for a new tournament organiser starting out can be extremely difficult. Just like running an academy, these athletes will need to persevere, and market their tournaments well, if they want to see a good revenue stream appear. 

TOURNAMENTS THAT PAY CASH PRIZES

There are a number of different tournaments that pay BJJ fighters cash prizes. With the rise of the televised international no gi scene, athletes like Andre Galvao, Craig Jones, Gordon Ryan, Gabbi Garcia, Nick Rodriguez, and Geo Martinez are all enjoying the accolades attached with these tournaments. Eddie Bravo is the founder of the Eddie Bravo Invitational, which is a tournament designed to help athletes earn money from the sport. The 50 thousand dollar prize is paid to athletes that can submit all four of their opponents. Eddie Bravo is a bold innovator of BJJ, as he has also founded Combat Jiu Jitsu. His new event is a hybrid version of BJJ that allows palm strikes while opponents are on the ground. The winner of each match receives a cash prize of 12 thousand dollars, which is great for upcoming athletes with the nerve to fight BJJ with striking combined.

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The ADCC has become the most iconic no gi tournament in the modern era. Athletes from all over the world are all vying for a spot on the prestigious tournaments roster. The usual cash prizes that are given out, are to the top four finishers of each weight category. First place receives 10 thousand dollars, second place receives 5 thousand dollars, third place receives 3 thousand dollars, and fourth place receives 1 thousand dollars. A common question that is asked by spectators is what is absolute division in jiu jitsu, and the division is an open weight category that only the best of the best will win. The winner receives a 40 thousand dollar paycheck, while second place receives 10 thousand dollars, third wins 5 thousand dollars, and fourth earns 1 thousand dollars. The ADCC also offers bonus prizes of 1400 dollars for the best takedown, the fastest submission, the best fighter, and the best fight of the competition. There are also superfight matches, where the winner receives 40 thousand dollars, while the runner up receives 10 thousand dollars. In the most recent revelation, the 2022 ADCC is making history, as the winner of the superfight will earn a whopping 100 thousand dollars, and the runner up will receive a 50 thousand dollar cash prize. The ADCC has now become the most coveted and recognised BJJ competition in the world. 

The Who's Number One promotion is an organisation that finds the best matches that fans want to see. There have been many great matches over the history of their competition, with superstar athletes like Gordon Ryan, Craig Jones, Pedro Marinho, Kaynan Duarte, and Gary Tonan all making appearances. Even some of the world's best female bjj fighters like Gabbi Garcia, Elisabeth Clay, Ana Vieira, Rafaela Guedes, and Erin Harpe have all competed in search for the 30 thousand dollar cash prize. The WNO are also the founders of Subversiv, which is a team grappling event that incorporates 8 teams in a knockout style of competition. Each team consists of one under 77kg fighter, one over 77kg fighter, and one female fighter, as the matches are a best of 3 competition. This new and innovative style of tournament has become quite popular with teams like Atos, Checkmat, Legion, and 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu, which have all contributed to its success. The winners of the Subversiv crown will win bragging rights as the best bjj teams of the night, along with a 30 thousand dollar cash prize.

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