One of the most dominant stars in the Heavyweight division may not compete in the 2022 IBJJF Worlds circuit due to lack of fighter pay.
ATOS black belt Kaynan Duarte is speaking out about IBJJF pay, and is considering dropping the gi circuits this year in order to focus on ADCC, where the pay is significantly higher for the grapplers.
IBJJF currently pays $10,000 for Absolute winners and up to $7,000 for weight division winners, depending on the size of their bracket. Duarte emphasized his gratitude for the organization and what they’ve done for his career. However, ADCC pays $10,000 for weight division winners and $40,000 for absolute winners. A hard difference to ignore.
Duarte gave his thoughts in an interview with Vitor Freitas,
“I still don’t know if I’ll fight the next Worlds in 2022. I don’t know if it’s going to be something I’m aiming for, you know? I want to be better paid, have more support. Surely the reward could be better. What they (IBJJF) are paying is nothing, you know? I did seven fights in their event. I fought because I wanted to, you know? I’m fighting because I want to. When I don’t want to fight anymore I won’t fight. They helped me in some ways for sure. Where I was and where I am today is because of the IBJJF. I can’t not be grateful. But a fight I do in another event I win three times or four times more than I win at the Worlds. I won $5,000 at the Worlds. In a fight with Meregali I would make a lot more money, you know? A big fight. That $5,000 amount doesn’t even pay for my preparation.”
Find the full interview in Portuguese below
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