A number of-time ADCC world champion Gordon Ryan is defending the $10,000 prize cash given to ADCC gold medalists.
Two of no-gi grappling’s greatest names are going backwards and forwards concerning the prize cash on the ADCC World Championships.
Final week, two-time ADCC silver medalist Craig Jones launched a video on YouTube explaining why he may not compete within the upcoming 2024 ADCC World Championships. As he outlines within the video under, Jones is disillusioned that, regardless of elevated income from streaming rights and an explosion of ticket gross sales, the ADCC continues to pay its male champions simply $10,000 in prize cash.
Based on Jones, he can earn more money in affiliate gross sales and advertising and marketing than he would if he had been to win an ADCC world title.
Since that video was launched, Jones’ former teammate Gordon Ryan has publicly defended the ADCC prize cash. On Tuesday, he posted a number of Instagram tales that detailed his opinion on athlete pay.
As he explains above, Ryan claims that the ADCC, and particularly ADCC founder Sheikh Tahnoon has misplaced “10s of hundreds of thousands of {dollars}” over the previous three a long time.
Ryan goes on to make the unsubstantiated declare that the ADCC continues to be not making a revenue, though the group has seen ticket gross sales skyrocket, sells merchandise, costs entry charges to ADCC Trials occasions that usually meet most capability, and has lately began holding ADCC Open occasions that cost entry charges. What’s extra, the ADCC has offered its streaming rights to FloSports, which has made the occasion a key element of its advertising and marketing technique.
Ryan argues that, as a result of the ADCC World Championship is broadly considered the Olympics grappling, the group ought to proceed to maintain prize cash as-is with a view to not diminish the status of profitable it.
Alternatively, Ryan says that if the ADCC had been to lift its prize cash, it ought to change into the highest-paid occasion in grappling (for the male divisions).
Ryan concludes by stating that he “doesn’t deserve something greater than they’re prepared to offer.” As maybe probably the most dominant athlete to ever compete in no-gi grappling, Ryan and his involvement in ADCC has undoubtedly been a driving pressure behind each ticket gross sales and FloSports subscriptions, with hundreds of followers paying simply to see him compete.
Earlier this yr, Ryan introduced that, because of ongoing well being points, he won’t be competing in any occasions aside from the ADCC World Championships.
