Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Juliano Prado, a sixth-degree black belt and founder of Acai Republic, recently appeared on the JAXXON Podcast to discuss his role in the competition in Kazakhstan and the tangled web of politics preventing BJJ from becoming an Olympic sport. With over three decades of experience training students—including coaching former UFC champion Rampage Jackson—Prado’s insights cut through the noise surrounding international grappling and bureaucratic obstacles.
Prado didn’t hold back when describing the political stranglehold keeping BJJ out of the Olympics.
According to him, the gatekeepers of Olympic combat sports reside in Switzerland and control wrestling’s Olympic representation through institutions governing Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling. For Brazilian jiu-jitsu to be considered, it would need to go through these established channels—something that would dilute its core identity.
“The Olympics from what I understand is controlled by the the fighting part is is FILA* which is Greco Roman and freestyle and is out of Switzerland. They run out of there and to get to the Olympics you got to go through them.”
*The UWW was formerly known as IAWF (International Amateur Wrestling Federation) from 1921 to 1952 and FILA (Federation Internationale des Luttes Associees) prior to assuming its current name in September 2014.
Prado served as US Wrestling team’s Grappling coach for FILA competitions.
But the challenge runs deeper than bureaucratic red tape. Prado points to what he calls an Olympic “mafia”—a rigid structure that forces sports like BJJ to either assimilate into existing frameworks or be excluded altogether. For practitioners rooted in Brazilian culture and technical nuance, neither option is acceptable.
“There’s some uh you know, this type of a of a power struggle… the Brazilians don’t want to go through judo or through wrestling. It have to be its own thing. It have to be jiujitsu, its own federation.”
In essence, jiu-jitsu faces a cultural catch-22: conform and lose its essence, or resist and remain sidelined.
Another layer of complexity is the global accessibility of elite competition. Prado underscored how visa issues and travel restrictions create a competitive imbalance. Many top grapplers from regions like Eastern Europe and Central Asia struggle to participate in major U.S.-based events such as ADCC or IBJJF tournaments.
“Not everybody can come here and compete on the IBJJF tournament. Not everybody can come here and fight on ADCC. If you’re Russian, if you’re from that part of the world, it’s hard to get a visa to, you know, to come.”
In response, regions like Kazakhstan are becoming hotbeds for grappling innovation, hosting events such as the AIGA tournament to spotlight talent beyond traditional Western venues.
Despite the hurdles, Prado remains optimistic about the future of jiu-jitsu as a legitimate professional path. He imagines a world where grappling teams are sponsored by major corporations, much like Formula 1 or football clubs.
“I envision more teams like that imagine if uh I don’t know Mercedes have a team Toyota have a team or Jackson have a professional team and you know the opportunities that it’s going to create for these people that love jiu-jitsu”
