BJJ Weight Classes Explained – IBJJF, ADCC, UAEJJF

BJJOne of the most important questions when thinking about competing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is in what weight division you will be. There a lot of them, because tournaments are run by several different BJJ organizations and all of them can have slightly different rules and weight categories. Sometimes it might be confusing and causes you unnecessary stress. That’s why in this article you will find an explanation of BJJ weight classes proposed by major organizations in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu world.

BJJ weight class general informations

Most of the time you need to know your weight division already at the moment of registering for a competition. Your weight will usually be checked the same day as the tournament, mostly before the first fight. Generally, in Gi championships, your weight will be checked with the Gi. In No Gi tournaments weighting will be just in clothes in which you will be competing like rashguard, leggings, etc. Unfortunately, these general rules do not apply to all tournaments the same. It may differ slightly depending on the BJJ organization.

IBJJF weight Classes

International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation is an organization that runes several of the biggest BJJ tournaments in the world. IBJJF championship list is the longest of all other federations and includes events such as Pan Ams, European or World Championships. IBJJF weight classes are divided according to gender and age into as many as 9 categories (rooster, light feather, feather, light, middle, middle heavy, heavy, super heavy, ultra-heavy). Below is the list of what BJJ weight classes look like in general when it comes to IBJJF standards.

Adults/Masters Gi – male

Adults/Masters No Gi – male

Adults/Masters Gi – female

Adults/Masters No Gi – female

Juvenile* GI – male

Juvenile No Gi – male

Juvenile Gi – female

Juvenile No Gi – female

* Sometimes juveniles are divided into 2 categories. This year in IBJJF categories there are Juvenile 1 (year of birth 2004) and Juvenile 2 (year of birth 2003) and their weight divisions are slightly different. On the picture below you can find exact BJJ weight classes for 2020 European Jiu Jitsu IBJJF Championship.

Worth remembering: In IBJJF Gi Tournaments before the first fight, your weight will be checked with the Gi. If you don’t make the weight, by IBJJF standards you will be immediately disqualified. You can’t change divisions and they will no give you a refund. In No Gi Championships policy is the same, your weight is just checked without the gi.

ADCC weight Classes

Abu Dhabi Combat Club is the largest submission fighting organization in the world. The organizer of the prestigious ADCC World Submission Fighting Championships. Each year ADCC has qualifiers and open tournaments in many countries around the world. Their weight categories are a bit smaller than IBJJF ones. Below you can check how exactly it looks like.

National, Open & other ADCC Championships – official weight divisions

UAEJJF

United Arab Emirates Jiu Jitsu Federation is the IBJJF’s main competitor. It is providing alternate venues at the highest levels of grappling. The largest event organized by them is the Abu Dhabi World Pro Jiu-Jitsu Cup. Below you can see how exactly their weight divisions look like.

In conclusion: As you can see BJJ weight classes vary by organization, there is no one universal weight division. However, as you can see categories regardless of the federation changes approximately every 6 to 10 kilos and differences between IBJJF, ADCC, etc. are only around 2 to 3 kilos. So it’s just good to try to be always in the middle. By doing that you may avoid cutting or gaining weight while starting in tournaments hosted by different organizations. Also, always check before competing exact rules of the tournament, because at some championships you have permission for a little too much weight.