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Just last month, one of the biggest and mostly highly-anticipated events in Brazilian jiu-jitsu took place in Las Vegas: the IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Con. Not only did the event feature many thousands of competitors and spectators, but also a number of companies catering to the jiu-jitsu industry.
The sheer number of vendors was remarkable, and gave testament to the growing industry. Long gone are the days in which the only way to make a living from jiu-jitsu is to open an academy. However, few of those vendors can boast having global status.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is inarguably one of the fastest growing sports in the world, with untold millions of people practicing worldwide. But how many of those know the history of this martial art that we love so much?
The roots of grappling-style martial arts run deep... certainly as deep as ancient civilizations, maybe even deeper. Japanese jujutsu and judo are also quite old. However, while there's no denying jiu-jitsu's origins in the Japanese style, specifically the practice of Brazilian jiu-jitsu is really only a century old, if you start with the creation of the very first academy dedicated to the new, evolving offshoot.
And that century is full of momentous events that - combined - have led us to where we are today. You could spend hours upon hours going down the rabbit hole of BJJ's history, but if you want something short and sweet, or you need somewhere to start, we've got you covered.
Injuries are simply a part of the Brazilian jiu-jitsu journey. Whether you're a hardcore competitor or a weekday warrior, you will experience an injury at some point in your career.
Not only is jiu-jitsu such a physically demanding and dynamic sport, but there are so many factors involved that out of your control: your partner's movements, your own reactions, other people on the mat, even simply the accumulation of sweat that can cause you to slip during a pass. Accidents happen all the time. We can only hope that they are relatively minor, requiring some ice and a couple days of rest.
However, if you're unlucky enough to sustain a major injury - one that takes you out of training for weeks, if not months - coming back to the BJJ mat can be daunting. You're out of shape, your joint or limb is weak and underutilized, and your training partners have only become stronger and better in the time you've been gone. If that's the case, you have to be smart about how you return.
In case you missed it, one of the most exciting events in the Brazilian jiu-jitsu calendar happened just a couple weeks ago: the IBJJF World Championships. For the thousands of competitors, it's the culmination of all their hard work on the mat over the past year, an opportunity to showcase their jiu-jitsu in pursuit of that ultimate goal: standing on the top of the podium as the 2025 IBJJF World Champion.
But only one person in each division can claim that title... and the competition is always fierce! This year, some of the best of the best - seasoned veterans and fresh faces alike - battled it out on those iconic blue and yellow mats.
For an incredible nine on our Kingz Athletes team, the hard work paid off! And for five of those, not only did they hit the top of the podium, but they leveled up as they did so!
Probably two of the most anticipated black belt promotions happened within minutes of each other at the IBJJF World Championships in Anaheim, California this May.
Yes, we're talking about Mia and Ashlee Funegra, of AOJ fame, who received their black belts from their long-time coach Guilherme Mendes after about a decade on the mats. The promotion came just after Ashlee won the finals match in the brown belt light-featherweight division... and right before Mia would step on the mat for her black belt debut.
You're probably wondering how Mia, who was a brown belt up until that day, was able to register and fight in the black belt division of the World Championships. It's not common, but not unheard of. As a prior world champion (in the purple belt division last year), she could sign up for the black belt division while still a brown belt, as per IBJJF rules. And the move certainly paid off.
