JP Ferreira talks about the growth of the PBJJF and its work with referees

JP Ferreira, a black belt and the president of the PBJJF, spoke to VF Comunica about the plans of the organization to grow and about its work with referees. The PBJJF is a federation that runs jiu-jitsu tournaments. He said the organization wants to go beyond competitions and connect events, education, academies, athletes and the community around the world.

Ferreira said the PBJJF was born from competitions, but today it has a much bigger vision. He said the goal is to grow around the world and help make jiu-jitsu more professional, without losing the values and traditions of the sport.

The work with referees

Ferreira also explained how the PBJJF trains its referees and what it does when a decision is questioned at an event.

He said the federation works all the time on the training and development of its referees, always based on the PBJJF rule book. When a decision is questioned, he said, the federation reviews the case and applies what the rules say, because the rule book covers different situations and the right steps for each one.

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Free affiliation until the end of 2026

The plan to grow is already visible in practice. The PBJJF offers free affiliation for academies until the end of 2026. This means professors and academy owners can register their teams with the federation at no cost. Besides its tournaments, the federation also offers courses, training and other resources for professors, athletes and academies.

Last weekend, the federation held the Orlando Open, in Florida, where Pinheiro Jiu-Jitsu finished first in the kids academy ranking.

In another part of the interview, JP Ferreira talked about how jiu-jitsu can become professional. He said professors, managers, referees, organizers and media workers all need training.

What do you think of the path the PBJJF is taking? Leave your opinion in the comments.