BJJ News — grappling-pay

Ben Kovacs sits at the intersection of two things most people in grappling try not to think about simultaneously: money and honesty. As the general manager of FloGrappling and founder of the Guardian Jiu-Jitsu Foundation, he's the guy who has to explain why elite athletes are getting paid what they'

In the month of April 2026, four separate grappling promotions walked up to a microphone, cleared their throats, and announced that athlete pay was finally being revolutionized. Apex Submission League raised its per-fight minimum to forty dollars.