Renowned BJJ icon Craig Jones recently shared his thoughts on the lack of growth in prize money within the sport during an interview with The Mac Life. When asked about the steady payouts from Flow Grappling despite grappling’s rise in popularity, Jones highlighted that the dollar amounts have effectively decreased in real value over time.
Jones explained: “Well technically, due to inflation the ADCC prize money is diminished. $10,000 is worth less today. But I didn’t want to rub it in that bad. but I think I will.”
The interviewer then characterized the situation as “corporate America” where “people work harder but get paid less.” He then says: “Wendy’s said they were going to do dynamic pricing. So you’re paying more for the same thing.”
Jones agrees to that and jokes: “Wendy’s deserves it, FloGrappling doesn’t. I don’t think us athletes don’t either.”
Pineda then suggested unionizing as a potential solution to improve compensation in the sport.
Jones quipped in response: “The average grappler couldn’t spell ‘union,’ yeah.”
Jones’ candid remarks shine a light on the lack of growth in payouts within grappling, despite its rising prominence and viewership figures. He believes most athletes in the sport lack the organization and education needed to effectively push for better pay through collective bargaining.
While the raw dollar amounts of prizes may seem substantial, inflation has steadily eroded their real value. Jones jokes most grapplers probably couldn’t even spell “union,” let alone mount an organized effort to form one. This suggests advancing compensation in the sport will likely remain an uphill battle until athletes take more concrete steps to advocate for themselves.
Craig Jones claims that while ADCC is the best no-gi grappling tournament, the financial incentives for the top competitors are still not very high. To participate in ADCC, there is no appearance fee or “show money.” There is just prize money up for grabs, and you have to win it.
Jones demanded that the prize money for the ADCC be raised to reflect the sport’s expanding popularity. Even though ADCC is regarded as the premier no-gi grappling competition, its financial incentives have obviously not kept up with its commercial success. For elite athletes like Jones, there are alternative options that provide a significantly greater financial return than competing for ADCC titles.
