Luciano Bernert: “Money is coming into the sport”
Head coach of Instituto Start Doing, in Florianópolis, says prize money and big events have changed how athletes are developed from the kids’ classes, and that knowing how to fight is no longer enough
The growth of prize money and professional events in Jiu-Jitsu has already reached the kids’ classes. That is the view of Luciano Bernert, head coach of Instituto Start Doing, in Florianópolis, Brazil, in an exclusive interview with VF Comunica. For the coach, an academy that develops competitors now also has to prepare the student for life as a professional.
“Today it is not enough to develop an athlete who knows how to fight. We need to develop a sports professional, someone who understands routine, physical preparation, nutrition, recovery and responsibility,” Luciano said.
From kids’ medals to the adult division
According to the coach, that vision has guided Start Doing’s work since the kids’ categories. Podiums at the youth level matter, but the goal he describes lies further ahead: getting the student to the adult division ready to face the best.
“At Start Doing, we work with this vision from the kids’ categories. We don’t want just children winning medals. We want to build athletes who are able to reach the adult division and compete at the highest level. Money is coming into the sport, but we need to prepare our athletes for these opportunities,” he said.
The money that arrived in Jiu-Jitsu
The scenario Luciano refers to took shape over the last few seasons. In 2024, the Craig Jones Invitational paid US$ 1 million to the champion of each of its two men’s divisions, in Las Vegas, and guaranteed US$ 10,001 to every participant. The following year, the second edition offered US$ 1 million to the winning squad of its team tournament.
In the same period, the UFC launched UFC BJJ, with athletes under contract, ONE Championship kept grappling bouts on its cards and the IBJJF created The Crown, an invitation-only tournament with a cash prize for each division winner. The 2026 edition of The Crown is scheduled for November 8 in Long Beach, California.
As a result, athletes who reach the adult division now find a calendar with contracts, superfights and invitationals alongside the traditional federation championships. In the coach’s assessment, that is the environment that calls for a professional routine from an early age.
What Start Doing has been doing at youth level
The statement comes from a team with recent results among its youngest athletes. At the 2026 IBJJF South American Championship, in Barueri, Start Doing won the juvenile team title and had two double golds at blue belt, with Kauã “Lasanha” Gomes and Yasmin Baraúna. In 2026, Kauã won the Europeans, the Pans, the Brazilian Nationals and the Worlds, the four tournaments of the IBJJF Grand Slam.
Luciano is an IBJJF Master World champion and a Brazilian National champion in gi and no-gi. Preparation beyond technique had already come up in January, when he spoke to VF Comunica ahead of the Europeans: “The physical side, the mind and recovery have become a big part of our daily routine. Competing today is much more than knowing technique.”
More recently, the coach compared today’s Jiu-Jitsu to “human chess”, studied with pen and paper.
At your academy, do the kids already train with a professional routine? Leave your opinion in the comments.
