We have scoured the web to find out how much the top competitions in the world pay for winning gold. In this list, we’ve included ADCC, IBJJF Worlds and briefly looked at EBI (now Combat Jiu Jitsu worlds). Whilst EBI isn’t as prestigious as the other two, it is still known to pay its champions well compared to other competitions. Please note, that these figures are correct as of 2020, but in the future, these numbers may change.
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How much does ADCC pay?
According to the official ADCC website, men get paid $10,000 for winning, $5,000 for second, $3,000 for third and $1,000 for fourth place. This is across the board for all weight categories. However, the absolutes pay $40,000 for first, $10,000 for second, $5,000 for third and $1,000 for fourth place. Elsewhere, the super-fight pays $40,000 for the winner and $1000 for the loser.
The women’s pay structure is slightly different and less money is awarded. For winning, women get $6,000, second gets $3,000, third earns $2,000 and fourth gets $1,000.
Elsewhere, money is also awarded for specific awards. For instance, the best fighter takes $1,400, best takedown gets $1,400, fastest submission is $1,400 and in total ADCC spends $230,600 on its prize money.
How much does IBJJF Worlds pay?
For years, Worlds didn’t pay for getting on the podium, however this changed in 2019. Worlds now pays a base winning rate of $4,000. However, if there are 9-16 competitors this rises to $5,000. If there are 17-32 competitors it rises to $6,000 and if there’s over 32 then it can reach $7,000. The absolutes winner earns $10,000. These numbers are the same for both men and women, unlike ADCC which pays higher amounts to men. Again, different from ADCC, there are no cash prizes for those who do not finish first.
How much does EBI pay? (Now Combat Jiu Jitsu worlds)
There was a time when EBI (Eddie Bravo Invitational) could be a good earner for those lucky enough to compete and win on the card. For instance, Garry Tonon famously took home $50,000 at one event. Here, he won his 5 matches all by submission and won the belt. Each win earned him over $12,000 and he won the title. Because he accomplished all wins by submission and won the entire thing, he got $50,000. Funnily enough, whilst EBI had some fantastic grapplers involved, some of these were not the best in the world either, making it a good payday for Tonon.
Final thoughts on BJJ tournament pay
Overall, ADCC pays out considerably more in prize money when compared to Worlds. However, if you are a woman who wins Worlds then you can actually earn more than a woman who wins ADCC. Having said this, there is more money spread around ADCC for those who fail to earn gold but still get a podium finish.
Whilst the prize money is nice, it’s probably fair to say that most people in these competitions mostly compete for the glory rather than the money which goes straight back into training and travel. Not only this, but a podium finish will often mean future revenue streams in the form of seminars and sponsorships so even if you do miss out on gold, financially you can still make it work if you earn a different medal.
