The tournament, organized by AIGA (based out of Almaty, Kazakhstan), offers a rare $1 million in total prize money, with $500,000 going to first place, $300,000 to second, and $200,000 to third. The event takes place June 28–29 and will be broadcast live for free on YouTube via the AIGA channel.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend Juliano Prado is sponsoring a high-level team at the AIGA tournament. Under the banner of the “Acai Republic Fight Team”—named after his successful acai bowl franchise—Prado has built a seven-man lineup of elite grapplers. The approach reflects his push to professionalize BJJ and offer athletes brand-level sponsorship opportunities outside of traditional gym structures.
“It’s a million dollars in prizes,” Juliano Prado explained during the podcast. “The idea and I have to give props to Mr. Tolian, he’s the president of AIGA, is to have a tournament out there that brings people to compete with the local talent to develop the jiu-jitsu and grappling on that part of the world.”
His roster includes:
- 60kg: Talison Soares
- 65kg: Baby Shark
- 70kg: Kennedy Maciel
- 77kg: Jonnatas Gracie
- 83kg: Mica Galvao
- 91kg: Lucas Hulk and Felipe Andrew
- Heavyweight: Yatan Bueno
Prado’s connection to Kazakhstan began through his student, who introduced him to the region’s thriving martial arts community.
“Kazakhstan has a strong culture in fighting,” Prado noted. “They have great boxing, they have great wrestling, they have great judo. Triple G is from Kazakhstan, one of the best boxers of all time.”
The event also addresses a major hurdle in international competition—visa issues. Many top athletes from former Soviet states are unable to compete in American-based tournaments like ADCC or IBJJF. Prado emphasized this solution:
“If they cannot come here to compete with us, [we] bring us over there to compete with them and elevate the level,” Prado explained.
With support from Kazakhstan’s government and high-level production standards, the AIGA tournament is positioning itself as a premier global grappling event. Prado likened its aesthetic to Pride FC:
“The production and how the arena looks, how the lights and all that stuff… they doing it right. You can tell they really serious about it and they put a lot of money and thought [into it],” he said.
By sponsoring a team rather than fielding athletes from a single gym, Prado is attempting to reshape the sport’s structure. Acai Republic Fight Team features grapplers from multiple affiliations, united under a brand.
“The idea is to bring more opportunities to the fighters and bring more professionalism to jiu-jitsu,” he explained.
“If you own from Checkmat or if you’re from Lotus Club, those guys don’t mix too much, but under a professional team that represents a brand instead of a gym… that was the idea to put it together.”
Prado expects fierce opposition from teams based in Dagestan, as well as strong showings from American squads like the Kasai . He views this as a pivotal moment for BJJ, where athletes can pursue careers through professional competition rather than relying solely on teaching or gym ownership.
The event will stream live and free on YouTube via the AIGA channel, offering a glimpse into what could be the future of global jiu-jitsu competition.
