In an interview at The Luke Thomas Show, US Olympian Travis Stevens reveals why he stopped competing in jiu-jitsu tournaments. It turns out that the International Judo Federation requires athletes to get their permission to compete.
He wrote them a letter several times after receiving offers to fight for money. After all, he says that he doesn’t earn much from judo whereas jiu-jitsu can be lucrative. His requests were all denied.
Stevens has just won the silver medal for judo’s 81 kg division at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. He plans to join the biggest jiu-jitsu events in the future.
