The increase in prize money is almost entirely down to the finalists receiving more money, particularly in the men’s divisions. The male champions were previously awarded $10,000 and the silver medalists received $5,000, but both of these have now doubled to $20,000 and $10,000 respectively. The female champion’s prize money has also increased from $6,000 to $10,000 and the silver medalist in their divisions will now win $5,000 instead of $3,000. The prize money for the losing semi-finalists in all weight classes has gone unchanged however. Male bronze medalists will still receive $3,000 and female bronze medalists will still receive $2,000, while all fourth-place finisher’s prize money has also remained the same at $1,000.
The prize money in absolute divisions is equal regardless of gender and these have also received an increase of 25%, with the two absolute champions winning $50,000 instead of $40,000. The other top-four finishers in the absolute division will receive the same prize money as before; with them receiving $10,000, $5,000, and $1,000 according to their position on the podium. There’s also four bonuses available for ‘Best Fighter’, ‘Best Takedown’, ‘Fastest Finish’, and ‘Best Fight’; and each of these have increased from $1,400 to $3,000 too. The award for ‘Best Fight’ is the only one split between the two competitors involved, so the winners of that will receive $1,500 each.
This is undeniably a positive step from ADCC, as the promotion has recently been facing criticism for it’s prize money and the lack of any meaningful growth in recent years. This was actually a big part of the rivalry between ADCC and the Craig Jones Invitational, and it was one of the motivating factors behind CJI being created in the first place. At a time when grapplers can win $20,000 or more for tournaments staged at events like Polaris and the IBJJF Grand Prix, increasing the prize money available has brought ADCC more in line with shows that many of these grapplers will be competing on throughout the rest of the year.
The full ADCC 2026 event, including this year’s champions taking home the increased prize money, will be available to watch live on September 12th and 13th, 2026 on FloGrappling, click here to subscribe and watch.
