UFC BJJ will be opening up its own brand of “Opens” and jiu-jitsu tournaments, copying a lucrative — and somewhat controversial — format long used by IBJJF and ADCC.
“We are officially launching the new ‘UFC BJJ Opens’ today, which is the entry point into the UFC BJJ system,” MMA fighter turned UFC BJJ executive Claudia Gadelha announced on their last event. “They are a series of jiu-jitsu tournaments, where anybody from any skill level or any age can register and compete under the UFC BJJ banner.”
The first two UFC BJJ Opens are lined up for Las Vegas on August 22-23, and Phoenix on September 12.
They’re also marketing these events as supposedly an “entry point,” where “champions compete to earn the right to UFC BJJ.”
“Whether you’re a beginner, a seasoned vet, or chasing your shot at a (UFC BJJ) championship, UFC BJJ Opens are your opportunity to prove yourself and possibly win a title someday,” Dana White proclaimed as he read the announcement.
Outside of openly saying they want top talent to pay to compete, the premise also doesn’t quite fit. Should this mainly be about creating a professional feeder league and a path to the title, they wouldn’t need to host tournaments for children or 40-year-old hobbyist white belts. UFC BJJ Opens also currently have registrations open for gi tournaments, when the main UFC BJJ promotion is purely for no gi.
According to the UFC BJJ Opens website, each competitor will have to pay $175 ($150 if you sign up months earlier), plus an extra $75 for each additional division they want to join — like gi and no gi, or absolute. For context, UFC BJJ fees are more expensive than your average IBJJF Open, and only slightly cheaper than the annual IBJJF World Championships that cost $153, $186 or $204.
Major events can draw thousands of competitors, and this is certainly going to be a good business move for UFC BJJ, but let’s not pretend that’s not the main driving force here. Both IBJJF and ADCC have routinely made bank on this format, monetizing that large pool of athletes and hobbyists, and even conditioning the top grapplers in the world to pay to compete.
UFC BJJ executives completely change tone on athlete pay, open tournaments
Money has long been an issue in the Brazilian jiu-jitsu scene, with many of the best grapplers in the world either not being compensated enough, or even needing to pay exorbitant fees to compete each year. For decades, grappling stars spent their competitive careers with institutions like IBJJF or ADCC, hoping the “prestige” of those medals can lead to a better livelihood, through selling BJJ instructionals, seminars, or coaching.
CJI, and their recent million dollar paydays, was created in part to protest the paltry pay structure of these top BJJ institutions, while many other promotions like WNO and Polaris have grown the professional scene in recent years. UFC BJJ — and UFC FPI before that — has been part of that group that’s giving grapplers better opportunities to earn as a competitor, but this recent announcement is a step backwards.
Interestingly enough, UFC BJJ executives like Claudia Gadelha and Stephen Tecci previously criticized this very format, and blamed the athletes for the low pay in jiu-jitsu.
“The number one reason why jiu-jitsu is still an amateur sport, the number one reason why jiu-jitsu isn’t a professional sport yet, is because of the athletes,” Gadelha said in 2025. “You accept to be sold for free! You accept to go in there and put the best performances of your life, for a medal…”
“Someone is making money off you, why are you not making money off you?” Tecci previously said about the (lack of) pay in IBJJF.
The rapid growth of the pro grappling scene has forced ADCC to improve their pay structure and even made IBJJF start hosting professional events of their own. Instead of continuing on the path that’s been improving the sport’s payouts, TKO and its endless monetization efforts saw an exploitative structure and unsurprisingly wanted their slice of the pie.
While they’ve started to copy the IBJJF and ADCC Open formats, it’s worth noting that Gadelha previously announced that they also plan to ban UFC BJJ athletes from competing in those two organizations.
