2024 No-Gi world champ Roberto Jimenez Is the most recent BJJ athlete to call out the IBJJF on fighter pay.
Read his Full statement below
Roberto Jimenez Calls Out IBJJF
Roberto Jimenez Is the latest BJJ athlete to call out the IBJJF for not paying the athletes. Fresh off some great performances at the 2025 Pan Championship, Jimenez had this to say about fighter pay.
“Professional Jiu-Jitsu athletes should get paid.
Europeans, Pans, Brasileiro, Worlds, Gi & NoGi (competitions).
We need to get paid for our effort, we are not monkeys in a zoo. We are athletes, we are fighters, we are warriors. We deserve more.
There are world champions that have to work Uber.
We need compensation for making the show happen.”- Roberto Jimenez
Is Jimenez Wrong?
Roberto’s sentiments are shared by countless black belt athletes struggling to make a living at the sport. BJJ athletes dedicate their lives to a sport that costs them their time, money, and health.
If they compete for the IBJJF, it costs them thousands of dollars per year on tournaments and travel. For the vast majority of these tournaments, all they get is a medal and ranking points.
To get paid, they have to medal in the major tournaments, which usually doesn’t even cover what it costs to get there.
The IBJJF never releases their annual earnings, but we know it’s high due to the volume of tournaments, cost of competing and membership registration.
Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that we’ll see top athletes get compensated anytime soon. The IBJJF is a business and they’re doing fine without paying their top athletes.
Bobby is martial artist for almost 20 years with a BJJ black belt under Professor Sergio Miranda. He is also a karate black and former combat sports athlete, who loves all things grappling.
