Reigning Intercontinental Grappling League champion Tiago Ferreira, 28, announced his retirement from professional competition on Tuesday after a guest appearance on a gaming livestream paid him more than his combined prize earnings from six tournaments in 2025.
Ferreira appeared on popular streamer Kyle “KillSwitch” Henderson’s Twitch channel last Saturday, where he wrestled Henderson for content during a break between Fortnite matches. The segment lasted eleven minutes. Ferreira received $4,200 for his appearance.
His combined prize money from six IGL tournaments across three continents in 2025 totaled $3,875.
“I didn’t even submit anyone,” Ferreira said. “Kyle tapped from a headlock he learned watching WWE. Chat loved it. I made more money losing a fake match on the internet than I did winning real ones on three different continents.”
Ferreira’s coach, who asked to remain anonymous because he “hasn’t fully processed it yet,” confirmed the retirement was “immediate and non-negotiable.”
“He came into the gym on Monday, saw the direct deposit clear, and walked straight to his locker,” the coach said. “He was packed and out the door in four minutes. I’ve never seen him move that fast, and I’ve watched him compete at Worlds.”
Ferreira has since launched his own channel, where he streams himself rolling with subscribers who donate over $50. His profile lists “professional grappling” under the hobbies section, between “cooking” and “hiking.”
“I used to list streaming as a hobby,” Ferreira said. “I just swapped them.”
His channel has gained 14,000 followers in three days. His highest-performing clip — getting triangle-choked by a 16-year-old Minecraft streamer who had never trained — has 2.1 million views. His IGL world championship highlight reel, posted eight months ago, has 340.
Several active competitors have reportedly reached out to Ferreira for transition advice. He now charges $150 per consultation, which he notes is “more than the bronze medal payout at four of the six tournaments I won last year.”
The IGL released a statement wishing Ferreira well in his “future endeavors” and reminding athletes that “the honor of competition is its own reward.”
The statement was posted to the IGL’s official Twitch channel, which has 23 followers, nine of whom are IGL staff.