A Two-Time ADCC Trials Champ Just Skipped Worlds and Moved to Las Vegas Instead
William Tackett won his way into the ADCC bracket twice, then decided the payout math no longer made sense and relocated his whole career to Las Vegas for steadier paid grappling. His reasoning says a lot about where competitive jiu-jitsu money actually is right now.
Key takeaways
- William Tackett, a two-time ADCC Trials winner, is missing from this year's ADCC World Championship bracket after deciding the event's every-other-year payout does not compete with what he can earn on paid circuits right now.
- He left Austin's Fight Factory, where he had spent years coaching, and relocated to Las Vegas to make competing his full-time job instead of something squeezed in around a coaching schedule.
- Independent pay research on the sport backs up his math: an ADCC weight class title pays roughly ten thousand dollars once every two years, while most working black belts earn only low thousands annually from competition.
- The move lands as Las Vegas becomes a genuine hub for paid grappling opportunities, with UFC's BJJ arm expanding its footprint in the city and giving relocated competitors more frequent shots at a paycheck.
Figures drawn from independent BJJ competitor pay reporting, alongside Tackett's own comments on missing ADCC 2026.
Why a Two-Time ADCC Trials Winner Is Sitting Out
William Tackett has done the thing most grapplers spend years chasing. He won the ADCC Trials outright in 2019, then did it again alongside his brother Andrew, each punching a ticket into jiu-jitsu's biggest no-gi stage. He actually made the 2022 World Championship bracket too, though he ran into a tough first round matchup against Mateusz Szczecinski and did not advance. So when his name is absent from this year's ADCC bracket entirely, that is not a case of somebody who could not get in. It is somebody who chose not to go.
His explanation, in his own words, comes down to simple arithmetic. Tackett has said flatly that he is currently earning more than an ADCC run would net him, and that showing up there this cycle would mean either accepting a real pay cut or risking a result that makes him look like he is slipping. He put it plainly when he said the money just does not add up, a line that has been making the rounds in grappling media since early July.
The Actual Math Behind Skipping the Sport's Biggest Stage
It helps to see the numbers Tackett is weighing against each other. Reporting on competitor pay across the sport puts an ADCC weight class title at roughly ten thousand dollars, an event that only happens once every two years, meaning that check has to stretch across twenty four months. Win the absolute division on top of that and the payout climbs to around forty thousand dollars, still a one-time event on a two-year clock. Compare that to a typical top-fifty competitor's overall yearly competition income, generally cited somewhere between nine thousand and thirteen thousand dollars across every tournament they enter in a given year, and the picture gets clearer fast.
IBJJF's own marquee event, the Worlds gi championship, pays its weight class winners somewhere between four thousand and eight thousand dollars, and that money goes only to first place. Everyone else on the podium walks away with a medal and travel receipts. Against that backdrop, a grappler with steady access to paid appearances on a regular circuit is doing math that has nothing to do with prestige and everything to do with keeping the lights on. Tackett said as much himself, noting that competing for nothing this weekend quietly tells promoters he is not worth paying next time either.
Why the Move Landed Him in Las Vegas Specifically
The relocation piece of this story matters as much as the pay math. Tackett did not just skip one tournament, he packed up his career and left Fight Factory in Austin, where he had spent years balancing his own competing against a full coaching schedule. Moving to Las Vegas let him flip that balance, making competition his primary job rather than something wedged around teaching classes.
Las Vegas has quietly become a logical landing spot for that kind of bet. UFC's BJJ league has been building out a Las Vegas presence, including a new UFC BJJ Opens series launching in the city, giving competitors based here more chances at a paid card without waiting on a two-year tournament cycle. For a grappler trying to string together a full-time income from competing, being close to that pipeline of opportunities beats commuting in from somewhere else.
What This Means If You Are Not Chasing a Pro Contract
Most people rolling on a Tuesday night are not weighing five figure payout decisions, and that is exactly the point worth taking from Tackett's story. The gap between grappling as a business and grappling as a hobby has rarely been this visible. His calculation only exists because there is now enough paid competition volume in places like Las Vegas to make full-time competing a viable bet at all, something that was not really true even a few years back.
That growing scene benefits everyone training locally too, even people with zero interest in ever stepping onto a paid mat. More competitors relocating here for real opportunities means deeper training partners, sharper coaching pools and a stronger overall jiu-jitsu community around the city. If a story about a two-time ADCC Trials champion moving his whole career to Las Vegas has you curious what that same growing scene looks like from the mats, that is exactly what a class near you can show firsthand.
Why Grapplers Like Tackett Are Choosing Paid Circuits Over the ADCC Cycle
Skipping the sport's biggest no-gi stage sounds drastic until you look at the actual factors pushing competitors toward this decision. Here is what is really driving it.
- A two-year wait between paydays: ADCC only crowns champions once every two years, so a title check has to cover twenty four months of bills, travel and training costs.
- Flatter, more frequent paid circuits: Regular paid grappling cards offer smaller checks more often, which adds up to steadier income than one big biennial swing.
- Leverage with promoters: Tackett has said competing for free signals to future promoters that he is not worth paying, so he limits himself to paid bookings on purpose.
- Trading coaching hours for mat time: Leaving a full teaching schedule behind frees up the hours needed to actually train and compete at a full-time level.
- Relocating toward the opportunity: Las Vegas's growing slate of UFC BJJ cards gives relocated competitors more regular shots at a paycheck than staying put would.
- A sport-wide pay gap conversation: Broader reporting on grappling economics shows competitors earning a fraction of what comparable MMA athletes make, fueling this same calculus across the sport.
- Keeping the door open: None of this rules out a future ADCC run. Tackett has said he would still like a proper crack at the event once the numbers line up better.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is William Tackett?
William Tackett is a two-time ADCC Trials champion who also competed at the 2022 ADCC World Championship, where he lost his first round match to Mateusz Szczecinski. He recently relocated from Austin to Las Vegas to compete full time.
Why is he skipping the 2026 ADCC World Championship?
Tackett has said the payout does not compare to what he currently earns competing on paid circuits, and that showing up would mean either a real pay cut or a result that hurts his market value.
How much do ADCC champions actually get paid?
Independent reporting on grappling pay puts an ADCC weight class title around ten thousand dollars and an absolute division title around forty thousand dollars, both on an every-two-year event cycle.
Does this mean grappling does not pay well in general?
For most competitors, no, not compared to MMA. Reporting shows a typical top-fifty ranked grappler earns somewhere between nine thousand and thirteen thousand dollars a year from competition, which is why frequent paid circuits like those growing in Las Vegas matter so much to a full-time competitor's math.