BJJ Weight Classes: The Ultimate Guide - Jitsmagazine.com (2024)

BJJ tournaments can often use different weight classes, whether that’s under IBJJF, ADCC, or any other rules. This is a complete guide to the divisions used in these tournaments for adult, master, and juvenile competitors. It can be difficult to keep track of at times, because each BJJ tournament organizer offers different weight classes for athletes to enter. While they are usually around the same weight, there are often small differences in the amount that can lead to competitors being disqualified if they are not paid attention to.

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There is something for everyone when it comes to the weight classes available in BJJ competition, as every tournament organizer offers several different divisions for athletes to compete in. While some promotions have been criticised in the past for not offering enough divisions for athletes or for having big gaps between different divisions, generally competitors are happy with what is available. Alongside the actual weight classes, most tournaments will also have an absolute or openweight division available where anyone can compete one another without any weight limit. Take a look below to find out the weight classes available for the BJJ tournament you’re competing in, and make sure you don’t get disqualified for missing weight.

IBJJF Weight Classes

The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, or IBJJF, is the biggest tournament organizer on the planet, with open tournaments taking place all across the globe on almost every single weekend. They arrange both gi and no gi BJJ tournaments with several different weight classes available. Some of these tournaments are among the most prestigious events of each calendar year, and attract some of the best grapplers on the planet. The IBJJF World Championship is undoubtedly the biggest gi tournament of the year and although the IBJJF no gi World Championship is not quite as popular, it’s still a huge event.

Male Adult and Master Divisions

Female Adult and Master Divisions

Male Juvenile Divisions

Female Juvenile Divisions

ADCC World Championship and Trials Weight Classes

Abu Dhabi Combat Club, or ADCC, organizes a world championship that is undoubtedly the most prestigious no gi BJJ tournament, with a smaller number of weight classes available. There are only a handful of ways to earn an invite to ADCC and the world championship only takes place once every 2 years, soonly the best competitors on the planet are ever able to compete at it. Grapplers can either be invited by winning a previous edition or putting in some fantastic performances leading up to the event, or by winning one of the notoriously difficult ADCC trials.

Male Divisions

Female Divisions

ADCC Open Weight Classes

Although the ADCC world championship and ADCC trials only have a small number of weight classes available, an ADCC Open is far more common and offers many more divisions for BJJ competitors. These events are available for anyone to enter and offer grapplers an opportunity to gain experience under the ADCC ruleset before attempting to win one of the ADCC trials and earn their place at the world championship. ADCC Opens also offer divisions for juvenile competitors as well, allowing the next generation of talent to develop before entering the highest level of competition.

Male Adult and Master Divisions

Female Adult and Master Divisions

Male Juvenile Divisions

Female Juvenile Divisions

Grappling Industries Weight Classes

Grappling Industries is one of the most popular BJJ tournament organizers owing to their unique format, and the weight classes they offer differ slightly to the bigger organizations. They offer round-robin tournaments instead of the traditional single-elimination brackets, allowing competitors to get more experience at each event and accounting for an element of luck in the results. A grapplers who loses their first match by a narrow margin can still come back and win the tournament if they perform well in the rest of their matches, thanks to this format.

Male Adult and Master Divisions

Female Adult and Master Divisions

Male and Female Juvenile Divisions

UAEJJF Weight Classes

The United Arab Emirates Jiu-Jitsu Federation, or UAEJJF, is a major tournament organizer that stages several big tournaments in different locations across the year, commonly referred to as the AJP Tour circuit. The biggest competitions organized by the UAEJJF form part of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, along with the Abu Dhabi World Pro at the end of their season. One unique aspect of the weight classes at these BJJ tournaments is the fact that there is no unlimited division and even the heaviest one available has a weight limit in place.

Male Adult and Master Divisions

Female Adult and Master Divisions

SJJIF Weight Classes

The Sport Jiu-Jitsu International Federation, or SJJIF, is another major promotion that arranges tournaments in Brazil, USA, and Asia on a regular basis. Although it is one of the newer organizers compared to others, it still manages to stage a huge number of events each year. As with most BJJ tournaments, SJJIF events include different weight classes for adult male, female, and juvenile competitors both in the gi and in no gi.

Male Adult, Master, and Juvenile Divisions

Female Adult, Master and Juvenile Divisions

Jiu-Jitsu World League Weight Classes

The Jiu-Jitsu World League was first created by BJJ legend Rigan Machado and their tournaments are one of the few that offer double-elimination rules in each of their weight classes. Similarly to Grappling Industries, this allows competitors to gain more match-experience at each tournament and is one of the reasons why they remain so popular.

Male and Female Adult and Master Gi Divisions

Male and Female Adult and Master No Gi Divisions

NAGA Weight Classes

The North American Grappling Association, or NAGA, is one of the oldest tournament organizers in the grappling world. They run regular gi and no gi BJJ tournaments all across the USA and Europe, offering several different weight classes for men, women, and teenage competitors. Over the years, NAGA has attracted many of the best grapplers on the planet and several UFC legends to compete on their mats.

Male and Female Adult, Master, and Teen Divisions