Las Vegas will host a new type of a BJJ tournament soon. This August it will host the inaugural UFC BJJ Open, a two day jiu jitsu tournament set for August 22-23, 2026 at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Paradise Road.

The event marks the UFC’s formal entry into the grassroots competition space, bringing its brand to a format traditionally governed by organizations like IBJJF. What comes with that entry is a rulebook that diverges from convention in several meaningful ways and those differences are worth understanding before competitors register.

The single biggest departure from traditional competition is how gold medal matches work at the Black Belt level. In standard matches, scoring runs normally from the opening whistle. Takedowns, guard passes, sweeps, mount and back control all earn points throughout the contest. In Black Belt gold medal matches however, regulation becomes submission only, with only negative point deductions available during the six minute period.

If no submission occurs during regulation, the match moves into a four minute overtime where both positive and negative points apply, while any negative points earned during regulation carry forward. The structure encourages elite competitors to pursue finishes instead of protecting leads and reflects a clear philosophical direction from UFC BJJ regarding how premier matches should look.

Allowable Techniques

All Black Belt gold medal matches will be officiated by a panel of three referees.

The competition area also reflects the UFC brand identity. Instead of a traditional rectangular mat, athletes compete inside an octagon shaped boundary. When competitors exit the boundary, referees may recreate the position or restart the match standing.

The scoring system remains mostly familiar, though guard passes are now worth two points instead of three as seen in IBJJF rulesets. Takedowns, sweeps and knee on belly also score two points each, while mount and back control remain worth four.

The penalty structure takes a more direct approach than many competitors are used to. Instead of awarding advantages or points to the opponent, negative points are deducted directly from the penalized athlete’s score. A competitor sitting at four points who receives a penalty drops to three points. Athletes aged twelve and under are exempt from negative points entirely and a mercy rule applies if one competitor establishes a fifteen point lead.

The guard pull rule introduces another major change. Pulling guard is not automatically legal. Athletes who sit to guard must establish an engaged position within three seconds or receive a negative point. Legal engagement includes pulling into closed guard, butterfly or DLR, establishing shin to shin, wrist control or collar tie connections, or immediately attacking with a sweep, wrestle up or submission attempt. Falling directly into leg attacks or flying submissions also qualifies.

The rulebook also states that athletes cannot disengage after an opponent pulls guard. The standing athlete must continue to engage, defend or attempt to pass.

Heel hooks and leg reaping are permitted only in Adult Expert No Gi divisions. Both remain prohibited in all Gi divisions. The rules define reaping specifically as placing the leg behind the opponent’s leg, crossing the foot over the body’s vertical midline and applying inward pressure above the knee joint. Referees retain discretion regarding whether a submission is being applied with intent to injure, which can result in disqualification.

Entry into the absolute division is earned rather than purchased. Only the top three finishers from each weight class may enter and no additional fee is required. White belts are not eligible for the absolute division.

White and Blue Belt competitors are guaranteed at least two matches through round robin or consolation formats depending on bracket size. Brown and Black Belts compete in single elimination brackets. Divisions containing only two athletes use a best of three structure. Lone registrants may request refunds, credits or division changes.

Match durations vary by age and belt level. Youth competitors aged eight through seventeen compete for four minutes. White belts and all Masters divisions compete for five minutes. Blue through Brown belts compete for six minutes, while Black Belt standard matches also run six minutes. Black Belt gold medal matches consist of six minutes of regulation, one minute of rest and four minutes of overtime for a potential total of ten minutes.

Doors open at 8:00 a.m. both days with competition beginning at 9:00 a.m. The event order starts with Youth No Gi, followed by Youth Gi, Adult No Gi, Adult Gi and Absolute No Gi divisions. Youth competition concludes before adult brackets begin.

Weigh ins can be completed up to one hour before a bracket starts but no later than twenty minutes before competition time. Athletes must check in at least twenty minutes before their bracket and remain in the holding area once the division begins. Missing any checkpoint results in disqualification.

Weight classes begin at 55 lbs (25 kg) for youth competitors and extend through Light Heavyweight at 205 lbs (93 kg), with Heavyweight beginning at 206 lbs (93.4 kg) and above.

Early bird registration costs $150, while standard registration costs $175. A second division entry costs $75. This is somewhat on par with the IBJJF pricing with a caveat that IBJJF requires a membership as well.

Gi competitors may wear black, white, blue or grey uniforms. Male Gi competitors must wear a rashguard underneath the Gi. No Gi athletes are required to wear ranked tops and loose fitting shirts or cotton shirts are prohibited.

Compression shorts or spats are mandatory under No Gi shorts and shorts containing hard objects, zippers, metal or pockets are prohibited.

Protective cups are not permitted. Joint sleeves are allowed provided they contain no metal, wire or hard plastic and do not significantly restrict mobility. Standard athletic tape on fingers, ankles or wrists remains permitted for protective or medical purposes.

Reducing the guard pass value to two points, applying negative points as direct deductions and making Black Belt gold medal regulation submission only all signal a ruleset focused on pressure, pace and finishing attempts over positional accumulation.

Whether those ideas influence the broader grappling landscape will depend on how athletes, coaches and organizers respond once the events begin.

Full rulebook:

UFC BJJ Opens Rulebook
General Rules
• Each competition area is defined by an octagon-shaped boundary marked on the mat. Any
area outside of the octagon boundary is considered out of bounds.
• Should athletes exit the octagon boundary, the referee will use their discretion to recreate
the position or restart the match in the standing position.
• Each match is comprised of one regulation round, with the exception of gold medal
matches for all Brown and Black Belt divisions, which are comprised of one regulation
round (Regulation Time) and one overtime period (OT). All gold medal matches for Black
Belt divisions will be presided over by a panel of three referees to ensure the highest
standard of officiating.
o Standard matches will have full scoring in regulation round.
o Gold Medal matches will only have negative points in regulation and positive/
negative points in OT round.
• The match is over at any point with a submission.
• Athletes, coaches, and spectators are held to a high standard of professional conduct while
at our tournaments. All are expected to treat each other with respect and follow instructions
by tournament staff. Any that disrupt the tournament, refuse to follow staff instructions,
verbally or physically fight with each other, use profanity, or argue with staff may be
removed from the tournament and not offered a refund.
• Coaches and spectators who represent an athlete may cause their athlete to be
disqualified due to poor behavior.
• Athlete safety is a top priority of our referees. They are responsible for creating and
managing a safe environment.
o Athletes who appear unable to defend themself, their life is at risk or have been
choked unconscious may have their match stopped by the referee.
o Youth athletes who appear to be in imminent danger of injury due to a submission
attempt may have their match stopped by the referee even without a tap. The safety
of our youth athletes is paramount.
• If a referee stops a match due to a submission but it is clear a submission did not occur
(Such as referee admittedly made a mistake or successful replay challenge), referee will
reset athletes in the same position with the submission locked in.
Illegal Techniques
• No spiking your opponent on their head.
• No striking of any kind.
• No eye gouging.
• No grabbing the ears.
• No hair pulling.
• No twisting or holding of less than four fingers or toes.
• No putting your fingers into any orifice of your opponent.
• No scratching, pinching, or biting.
• No grabbing, squeezing or applying pressure to the groin area.
• No pressuring on face/head with knees or elbows
• No slippery substances allowed on body or clothing.
• No holding of rash guards (GI and No GI) or shorts (No-Gi)
• No slams, except during the normal course of a takedown.
UFC BJJ Opens Rulebook
Allowable Techniques
Bracketing and Tournament Format
• Youth and Adult White and Blue Belts- Multiple matches, at least 2. Depending on size of
bracket, will either be round robin format or have a consolation bracket.
• Adult Brown and Black Belts- Single Elimination.
o 4 or more athletes: Single elimination
• 3 athletes: Loser of match 1 faces athlete 3 for bronze. Winner of this match faces winner of
first match for gold.
• 2 athletes: Best of 3
• 1 Athlete – option of refund, credit, or change bracket (down in age or up in weight).
Scheduling
• Registrations will close 4 days before an event and brackets will be posted 3 days before an
event.
• Match times are estimated and may change based on how quickly the tournament is
progressing. It is recommended that athletes arrive at the venue no later than 2 hours
before their scheduled match time to account for any potential changes and unexpected
challenges.
• It is an athlete’s responsibility to monitor their match times via the event website or
schedule boards and ensure they arrive on time. Athletes failing to arrive at the start of their
match will be subject to the Walkover policy.
Bracket Changes
UFC BJJ Opens Rulebook
• If an athlete does not have an opponent in their division when registrations close, they will
be given 24 hours to request a change to their division. Athletes may be able to change
their:
o Weight Class (same or higher weight) (Gi and No Gi)
o Age Group (same or lower age) (Gi and No Gi)
o Experience Level (same or higher) (No Gi Only)
• Athletes have a right to refuse bracket mergers and will receive a full refund if they do not
have any opponents.
Weigh-ins & Check-ins
• Athletes must check-in at least 20 minutes prior to the start of their bracket.
• Athletes can weigh in one hour before the start of bracket, but no less than 20 mins before
the start of bracket.
• All athletes must wear shorts and rashguard (or sports bra for females) for weigh ins.
o Gi athletes are not required to wear Gi for weigh ins.
• All bracketed athletes must be in holding area 20 minutes prior to start of bracket.
• Athletes failing to check-in 20mins before the start of their bracket will be disqualified.
• Once a bracket starts any competitor not in holding area will forfeit their match.
• Athletes failing to make weight will be disqualified.
• Once a bracket starts, bracketed athletes must remain in the holding area until their
division is complete or they are eliminated from the competition.
Walkovers – WO
• Walkover due to DQ, injury withdrawal, no-show or other reason shall be considered a
victory.
UFC BJJ Opens Rulebook
Weight Classes
Weight divisions will be offered across all eligible age and belt categories.
Youth and Adult Weight Classes
Division Name Maximum Weight
Youth 55 55
Youth 65 65
Youth 75 75
Youth 85 85
Youth 95 95
Atomweight 105
Strawweight 115
Flyweight 125
Bantamweight 135
Featherweight 145
Lightweight 155
Welterweight 170
Middleweight 185
Light Heavyweight 205
Heavyweight 206+
Divisions
• Youth Gi and No Gi
• Adult Gi and No Gi
• Adult Gi and No Gi Absolute
o Must place top 3 of bracket to enter Absolute tournament.
•
Absolute Divisions:
o Absolute Division Availability: Yes, absolute divisions will be included.
o Eligibility: Only the top 3 finishers in their weight classes are eligible to participate.
o Entry Fee: No additional charge for entering the absolute divisions; however,
participants must have medaled in their weight division.
o Division Breakdown: Absolute divisions will be separated by belt (no white belts).
UFC BJJ Opens Rulebook
Ages
Youth
o Youth: 8U – 17U
Adult
o Adult: 18+
o Masters I: 30+
o Masters II: 40+
o Masters III: 50+
Youth Skill Levels
• Gi: White, Grey, Yellow, Orange/Green
• No Gi:
o Beginner- White belts only
o Intermediate- 1-3 years experience, mostly Grey and Yellow
o Advanced- 3-5 years experience, mostly Orange and Green
• Youth 16-17- White and Blue divisions
• Must wear a ranked rash guard
Adult Skill Levels
• Gi: White, Blue, Purple, Brown, Black
• No Gi:
o Beginner- White belts
o Intermediate- Blue and Purple
o Expert- Brown and black
o Must wear a ranked rash guard
Absolute Divisions:
o Absolute Division Availability: Yes, absolute divisions will be included.
o Eligibility: Only the top 3 finishers in their weight classes are eligible to participate.
o Entry Fee: No additional charge for entering the absolute divisions; however,
participants must have medaled in their weight division.
o Division Breakdown: Absolute divisions will be separated by belt (no white belts).
Winning
• Matches consist of positive points, negative points, and submissions.
o All matches include submissions.
o All matches include positive points, although Black Belt gold medal matches only
include positive points in the overtime period.
o All matches of athletes aged 13+ include negative points (stalling and passivity
penalties).
UFC BJJ Opens Rulebook
• The match is over at any point with a submission.
• Matches ending without a submission will be awarded to the athlete with the most points.
• In the event of a tie, the referee will decide the winner based on the referee decision criteria
Positive Points
• There is no repeat scoring if an athlete voluntarily gives up a position. They cannot digress to
and/or from a less dominant position to score unless their opponent forces them off, a new
position is established for at least 3 seconds, and then they regain the same scoring
position for 3 seconds.
• All scoring positions must be maintained for 3 seconds before positive points will be
awarded.
• Passing the guard = 2 points.
o Guard Pass must result in a controlling position.
• All Sweeps & Reversals = 2 points.
o Reversal is when an athlete changes the position from bottom to top and
establishes control for 3 secs or more. A sweep into a submission will not be
awarded points until the submission is escaped.
• Knee on belly = 2 points.
o The opposite leg must be extended out with knee off ground for entire 3 seconds for
points to be awarded.
• Takedown – all takedowns = 2 points
o Points will be awarded once opponent is on the mat and a controlling position has
been established for 3 seconds.
o Athletes do not have to initiate the takedown to score takedown points.
o Takedown into another scoring position will result in cumulative points.
▪ i.e. a takedown into mount is 6 points – 2 for takedown, 4 for mount position.
o Takedown into opponent submission attempt will not be awarded points until
submission is escaped and controlling position is held for 3 seconds.
▪ Turtle is considered a controlled position if top athlete holds bottom athlete
in position for 3 seconds.
• Mount Position = 4 points
o Both knees or one foot and one knee must be touching the floor. Your opponent’s
back must be on the floor. Both knees must be below the shoulder line.
• Back Mount with both hooks or body triangle = 4 points.
o Both hooks and body triangle are acceptable. Switching from hooks to body lock or
vice versa does not result in additional points.
o Pinning one of the arms with your leg will result in points as long as the opponent is
clearly controlled
• Mercy Rule (12 and Under Only): If an athlete is 15 or more points ahead of their opponent
at any point during the match, the match will end in a points victory.
Negative Points (Point Deductions)
• Negative points are only awarded to athletes 13 and up. A negative point is a point
deduction from the penalized athlete’s score. For example, if an athlete has 4 points and
receives a negative point, their score drops to 3 points.
UFC BJJ Opens Rulebook
• Stalling and passivity will be determined by the referee when one athlete is purposely
slowing the pace, aggression, or flow of the match with no apparent strategy to progress,
move to a more dominant position or set up a submission, such as:
o Excessive hand fighting, collar ties, or utilizing Gi grips for purely defensive
purposes for 20 seconds or more while standing.
o Avoiding contact for 20 seconds.
o Failing to meaningfully attempt to escape, sweep, or progress for 20 seconds.
o Disengaging from an opponent and not immediately reengaging.
o Stalling can be called from any position including front or back mounted positions if
the referee determines there is no attempt to progress to submission or stay active.
o Passivity can be defined as an athlete who avoids contact or engagement with their
opponent.
• When referee determines an athlete is stalling:
o Referee will announce ‘Stalling Warning’ to the athlete.
o If athlete doesn’t take action within 5 seconds, referee may issue a penalty.
• Referee, following a warning notification, can enforce a stalling penalty. In their sole
discretion, referee may:
o Apply a negative point.
o Stand up athletes (Top athlete loses position due to stalling).
o Both – Negative point and reset athletes.
▪ This is the most extreme and shall be applied as a last resort.
• Intentionally leaving or fleeing the octagon boundary to avoid engagement, takedown or
submission can result in point deductions or disqualification at the referee discretion.
• Illegal guard pull will result in a negative point.
o Illegal guard pull is when one athlete pulls into any guard that does not result in an
engaged position.
o Athletes cannot just sit into guard; they must establish grips to be considered a
legal guard pull. However, they may use offensive actions to roll into an engaged
guard without first establishing rips as long as it results in a legal guard.
o Legal guard should contain one of the following examples within 3 seconds of
initiating the action:
▪ Pulling into an engaged guard such as butterfly, closed, or DLR.
▪ Connection between athletes such as shin to shin, wrist control, or collar tie
▪ Immediate move into offensive attack such as sweep, wrestle up or
submission attack.
▪ There are multiple possibilities for legal guard with the key point of the guard
pull being to initiate action. Other legal moves include:
• dropping into leg attacks
• falling into leglock
• flying submissions
• An athlete who voluntarily jumps to guard or goes from standing position to a non-standing
position by any means and remains down for 3 seconds or more without establishing a legal
guard will result in an illegal guard pull infraction.
• An athlete cannot flee or run from a guard pull, they must defend, break or engage the
position. If they successfully break or defend a guard pull before a legal guard is
established, they have the option to make their opponent stand back up or to engage in
their guard. Once engaged, they may not disengage.
UFC BJJ Opens Rulebook
• Double stalling may occur when one athlete is locking down the position of another athlete
and neither are making meaningful attempts to advance the action for 20 or more seconds.
Time Limits
• Youth U8 – U17: 4 minutes
• White belt/All Masters: 5 minutes
• Blue to Brown: 6 minutes
• Black belt: 6 minutes except gold medal matches
o Gold Medal Matches
▪ Adult: Regulation time: 6 minutes, Rest: 1 minute, OT: 4 minutes
▪ Regulation time is sub only w/ negative points. If no submission, enters OT.
▪ OT period is positive and negative points with negative points carrying over
from regulation time.
Referee Decision Criteria
• If the match goes to a decision, the match is reviewed in its entirety. Regulation Time and OT
performance will impact final referee result.
Scoring Criteria
• Scoring criteria shall be ranked in order of the highest value to the lowest, the referees shall
apply the following criteria:
o Initiation of Bout Ending Techniques: Effective submission attempts which require
meaningful defense shall be given the highest value.
o Initiation of Action: Effective execution of offensive techniques such as takedowns,
guard passes, sweeps which further the progression towards bout ending techniques,
shall be awarded the second highest value.
o Duration of Control: The athlete who effectively controls the position and pace of the
bout shall be awarded the third highest value.
Other Notes:
• Reaping & Heel Hook Rule
Leg Reaping Definition:
▪ Reaping occurs when an athlete places their leg behind the opponent’s leg,
passes the foot across the vertical midline of the opponent’s body, and
places the foot above the opponent’s knee while applying inward pressure to
the knee joint from the outside.
Reversal of defensive position Definition:
▪ Referee will have sole discretion to award points and determine a sweep/
reversal versus change in position. This occurs when an athlete reverses a
defensive position such as rolling from bottom of mount into top position,
but into opponent’s guard. Referee will have discretion to award points if
UFC BJJ Opens Rulebook
they feel the reversal was an offensive progression or not award points if the
move was solely defensive.
Allowed Divisions:
▪ Reaping and heel hooks are permitted only in Adult Expert No-Gi divisions
▪ In all Gi divisions, reaping and heel hooks are prohibited.
Safety Enforcement:
▪ Referee maintains sole discretion to determine if an athlete is applying
submission with intent to injure opponent specifically, but not limited to
heel hooks. Any purposeful intent to injure opponent through slamming or
submission is grounds for disqualification.
Athlete Responsibility:
▪ Athletes are responsible for understanding these rules prior to competition.
• In lieu of an in-person rules meeting, a video covering legal and illegal positions, including
live demonstrations, will be available on the tournament website prior to competition. All
athletes are responsible for reviewing this video before competing.
Uniform
• Gi: Black, White, Blue, or Grey Gi only. Gis must be clean, dry and serviceable without any
rips, tears, or unpleasant odors. Gis must be checked prior to competing to ensure they
meet standard length and width guidelines. Gis with an excessive number or size of
patches preventing an opponent from getting grips in key places, such as sleeve or legs, are
not allowed.
o All Males must wear rashguard under Gi.
o All Females must wear rashguard or sports bra under Gi.
o All Competitors must wear athletic underwear or industry standard grappling
underwear such as compression shorts or spats.
• No Gi:
o Ranked tops are required.
o Rash guards or compression shirts of an elastic/spandex material are required for
the top. Men are required to wear industry standard fight trunks or jiu-jitsu shorts for
the bottom with spats or compression shorts underneath. Women may wear
industry standard fight trunks, jiu-jitsu shorts, compression shorts or spats. Cotton
t-shirts or loose-fitting shirts are not allowed. Shirtless is not allowed. Bottoms
cannot have any hard objects, such as any rings, zippers, metal, hard plastic or shar
edges. Bottoms cannot have pockets.
• Accessories: Footgear and headgear are not allowed. Joint sleeves may be worn but
cannot contain metal, wire, or hard plastic and may not significantly increase the mass of
or significantly reduce the motion of the joint. Cups may not be worn. Standard tape of
fingers, ankles, or wrists permitted, but may not be used in an advantageous manner that is
not consistent with industry standard protective/medical use. Hair pins or any other jewelry
are not allowed. Hair ties must be fabric and not contain metal, plastic nor can they
contain loose ends or protruding elements.
• Messaging: Uniforms may not have any political statements, offensive language or images,
or represent any form of hate.
Hygiene
UFC BJJ Opens Rulebook
• Hair: Long hair should be restrained in order to avoid interfering with an opponent’s vision
or ability to apply a grip or submission. Hair pulling is not allowed. Hair ties may not contain
any metal, hard plastic, pointy or sharp edges.
• Nails: Finger and toenails should be trimmed short to not cause scratches or injury to an
opponent.
• Wounds: Athletes may not compete with open wounds, such as cuts or sores, even if
covered by bandages since bandages are likely to slide off during competition. Small
scrapes or scratches may be reviewed by on-site official and determined if allowable.
• Cosmetics: Excessive hair dye or makeup that may stain an opponent’s uniform is not
allowed.