Top 5 Biggest BJJ Grappling Tournaments in the World

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a martial art that carries the attention and interest of many people around the world. The art has many fans around the world, as well as aspiring individuals willing to join BJJ and practitioners who are viewed by millions of fans. Due to the ultimate popularity of the art, there are many competitions held around the world. These include both international and national level tournaments. Being a true BJJ fan, it is very important for you to know about these events. You don’t need to be worried about these, as we have compiled the list of the top five BJJ competitions that happen across the world. These are the most popular and are considered the biggest competitions.

There are a lot of BJJ tournaments that happen each year throughout all twelve months across the world. These competitions provide every grappler a chance to prove themselves at the big stage at the national or international level. They are also able to better analyze themselves regarding their weaknesses and strengths.

The term “best” is often subjective. For one person, the best will be one tournament happening in the US, and for another person, the best will be some other tournament in another country. So many people will agree with the list, but some will not due to different individual perspectives.

• The biggest BJJ world championship is the IBJJF World Jiu Jitsu Championship. This is considered the most prestigious tournament. It is a great honor for every BJJ practitioner to take part in this tournament, and the winners who make it to the top of the charts are believed to be the best in the category.

• The tournament makes no distinction, and everyone can participate in this championship. Both males and females can join, and all belts are allowed to enter, ranging from blue belt to black belt.

• It is very difficult for any BJJ competitor to win the title of this tournament. The reason is that all the elite or the biggest names of martial arts participate in the championship, and everyone tries to lift the trophy. So if you are winning in this, consider yourself one of the best in the BJJ world.

• The first time IBJJF announced this event was in 1996, and since then, it has happened every year. It happens in California, which is a state in the US. People from all over the world can join this event. But it is only a Gi World Cup, so the No Gi grapplers cannot join this tournament.

• Moreover, all the athletes are divided into weight classes, and on the basis of these classes, the matches are scheduled. Two general weight classes include open, in which participants of any weight class can join, and an absolute, in which participants with only specific weight classes can participate.

• The second biggest Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournament is the Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Fighting World Championship, or simply ADCC. It is considered the best in the category of submission grappling.

• The unique thing about this championship is that it is not limited only to the BJJ practitioners. Instead, a player from any grappling discipline can join the tournament, but the special emphasis is given to the BJJ. So most of the grapplers participating in the tournament are from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

• The tournament is held twice a year. All the rules focus on submission grappling, and this promotes the usage of aggressive tactics during the game. The grapplers attempt mostly those techniques, attacks, takedowns, sweeps, and other submission attempts that are very aggressive. So this makes the tournament very exciting, interesting, and enjoyable to watch. There are two ways to participate in the ADCC submission championship.

• The first way in which you may have no control is that the organization personally invites the BJJ practitioner to join and participate in grappling. The second way is to take part in the ADCC trials and win those trials. Every year, when the tournament is about to happen, the ADCC conducts some trials before the tournament, according to which the practitioner is selected or rejected.

• Unlike the IBJJF world championship, the ADCC is based on No Gi. All grapplers can play without wearing the traditional Jiu Jitsu Gi uniform. This promotes aggressiveness, such as takedowns.

• The third biggest event of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the Pan Jiu Jitsu Championship, also known as the Pan American Championship. The event is conducted by the IBJJF. This event is considered the second most prestigious or biggest event in the list of IBJJF tournaments and championships.

• The Pan American Games are given the term “Americas” because the participants can only be from the Americas, which include Central, South, and North America. This is not the world tournament where everyone can join. The word Pan refers to everyone or anyone. So the Pan American means that all the BJJ practitioners from all of the Americas can join and participate in the championship. So this is specific only for the Americas, not for the whole world.

• The participants are from all age groups, and they can be of any belt rank in BJJ. The tournament occurs once a year in the United States and is one of the most exciting events in the BJJ calendar. All the rules that are followed in the IBJJF world tournament are also followed here. So there is no difference in the rules between these two IBJJF tournaments.

• The fourth biggest event in the list of the top 5 is the European Jiu Jitsu Championship. Just like the Pan American Championship, which is only for the continent of America, the European Jiu Jitsu Championship is only for the continent of Europe, and it is also conducted by the IBJJF. It comes down as the third most prestigious event in the list of IBJJF events. And in the same way, it follows all the same rules that are followed in other IBJJF events.

• It is held in Portugal and is conducted once a year. The BJJ participants from all over Europe are allowed and encouraged to participate in the championship. These American and European IBJJF tournaments are like the second tier for the respective continents.

• This serves as a chance and opportunity for the BJJ practitioners to promote themselves on the big stage, such as the IBJJF world championship. So it is a very golden opportunity for them to show themselves as very skillful practitioners in front of the world.

• These tournaments are also less competitive and easier than the IBJJF world championship because not all participants from any part of the world are allowed to participate. So this excludes the number of grapplers who are very elite and considered the best players in the world.

• Practitioners of all belt colors and age divisions are allowed to participate, so a kid, an adult, or a master can also take part and compete. Only the Gi practitioners are allowed to play. But there is also a tournament with the name European No Gi Championship, which allows only No Gi players to participate.

• The fifth most prestigious event considered in the list of best BJJ events is the CBJJ Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Championship. The CBJJ refers to Confederacao Brasileira de Jiu-Jitsu. The event is also known as the Brasileira. CBJJ is the branch of IBJJF in Brazil, which is responsible for organizing all the events only in Brazil. One of the most important, prestigious, or the biggest national tournament conducted by the CBJJ is the CBJJ Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Championship or Brasileira.

• Just like the Pan American Championship and the European Jiu Jitsu Championship, the Brasileira is the Brazilian version of the IBJJF tournament, restricted only to the people of Brazil. All the rules of IBJJF are followed here, like the other two IBJJF tournaments. The participants of all age groups and belt ranks are allowed to enter the championship.

• There are many other national tournaments that are conducted by the CBJJ in Brazil, in which only Brazilian nationals are allowed to participate.

• It has made it into the list of the top five because it is the birthplace of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu founded by the Gracie family. Many big grapplers in the history of BJJ martial arts have left their mark on this tournament. They rose and became famous across the world by competing in this tournament. So, historically, this event has the greatest significance across all the events of BJJ.

There are many Brazilian Jiu Jitsu events conducted each year across the world. All these events serve as a great opportunity for the BJJ grapplers to showcase their skills at the world level. Most prestigious tournaments are conducted by the IBJJF, which is the international organization dealing with all matters related to BJJ around the world. Practitioners should prepare themselves to compete in the tournaments first at the national levels, and their ultimate goal should be to take part in the IBJJF world championship and take the prize by becoming the ultimate winner and undefeated champion. This will be enough for them to make them the world's greatest grapplers in BJJ.

There are a lot of BJJ tournaments that happen each year throughout all twelve months across the world. These competitions provide every grappler a chance to prove themselves at the big stage at the national or international level. They are also able to better analyze themselves regarding their weaknesses and strengths.

The following are the best five BJJ grappling tournaments in the world:

• IBJJF World Jiu Jitsu Championship

• Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) Submission Fighting World Championship

• Pan Jiu Jitsu Championship (Pan American Championship)

• European Jiu Jitsu Championship

• CBJJ Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Championship