How to go full-time in Brazilian jiu jitsu, profitably (Part 1)

Many people think you cannot pursue a full-time career in jiu jitsu without being broke. That’s not true, but there are currently key misunderstandings about how to make more money in jiu jitsu. Here’s four paths that can lead to six figure USD incomes when done well.

In many sports with a more established professional tour, your earnings are directly correlated to winning in the sport. In tennis, when you win a Grand Slam, you literally win millions. In Brazilian jiu jitsu, when you win a Grand Slam, mostly you just get a medal.

If you’re one of the best in the world, you can win up to $10,000 at IBJJF Worlds or AJP World Pro, up to $33,000 at FloGrappling’s Who’s Number One and for winning ADCC (arguably, our sport’s most prestigious championship), you receive $40,000 for winning open class and $10,000 for winning weight—but that only happens every two years. And once, the Spyder Invitational offered a $100,000 prize (for men only).

In most Olympic sports, athletes can often get funding from a national body, as well as significant sponsorship from corporations (e.g. runners from shoe brands), but Brazilian jiu jitsu is currently pretty far from becoming an Olympic sport. As a sport, we lack a nonprofit international federation that could be recognized by the International…