The IBJJF Worlds aka The Mundials as they were once called, have been held in the US since 2007. Before that, they had been held at the Tijuca Tenis Clube in Rio De Janeiro from their first edition in 1996. 

With the event moving to the USA, the global reach has grown tremendously. We can now watch it live on Payperview, we have live pictures coming up on facebook etc…The question is how different would the current results be if the event had still been held in Brazil? We can argue that for black belts at least, the 50% of the elite are present and competing here. These are the top tier black belts that are able to secure sponsorship and funding to make the trip from mostly Brazil, USA, Asia, Europe etc..If we look at the results of the World Pro over the past few years at black belt, they are pretty much in line with the podiums of the recent Worlds with the same top guys present. The World pro actually proceeds with worldwide trials picking the best of worldwide talents.

The biggest differences would come from results at lower belts. At blue, purple, and brown, most of the top talent still cannot get funding or obtain a US Visa to compete. Of course we get to see great Brazilian brown belts but how about all the other talent? How would they fare against the best of the rest of the world…

So Why Should the IBJJF Worlds be held in Brazil instead of USA:

The most BJJ is still practiced in Brazil

As popular as BJJ is getting in the United States, Brazil is still the king when it comes to percentage of the population training. This means that Brazil is still producing the highest amount of practitioners and a higher percentage of possible champions. Besides cities like Rio de Janeiro, there are Sao Paulo and Manaus that continue to develop monstrous athletes that should be showcased to the world. Of course there are many jiu-jitsu athletes that fortunately can make it to the USA, but there are many who are unable to do so.

A lot of hidden talent cannot afford trips to the U.S. to compete

So perhaps many of you are thinking that if there is a will, there is way. These Brazilians athletes that are “so good” can find the means to get to the USA if they need to compete. Well sure, but that will still limit a lot of the athletes that could be out there. Think of it from this perspective; if the world championship alternated between Rio and California every year, do you think the exact same American athletes would show up every year? The cost for any American to compete in Cali is clearly less than flying over to Brazil – the airfare alone can be quite high. Now if that’s the case for Americans, it’s only much worse right now for the Brazilians having to go with the USA. Firstly, flights from Brazil to the USA are more expensive than reverse (USA to Brazil). In addition to that, Brazilians have to deal with the unfavorable exchange rate and getting American visas. It’s much easier for an American to get a visa to Brazil.”

Source GamenessBlog