The first two UFC BJJ Opens are lined up for Las Vegas on August 22-23, and Phoenix on September 12.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re also marketing these events as supposedly an \u201centry point,\u201d where \u201cchampions compete to earn the right to UFC BJJ.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201dWhether you\u2019re 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,\u201d Dana White proclaimed as he read the announcement.<\/p>\n Outside of openly saying they want top talent to pay to compete, the premise also doesn\u2019t quite fit. Should this mainly be about creating a professional feeder league and a path to the title, they wouldn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n 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 \u2014 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.<\/p>\n Major events can draw thousands of competitors, and this is certainly going to be a good business move for UFC BJJ, but let\u2019s not pretend that\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Mikey Musumeci and UFC BJJ executive Claudia Gadelha. Photo by Chris Unger\/Zuffa LLC<\/p>\n UFC BJJ executives completely change tone on athlete pay, open tournaments<\/p>\n 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 \u201cprestige\u201d of those medals can lead to a better livelihood, through selling BJJ instructionals, seminars, or coaching.<\/p>\n CJI, and their recent million dollar paydays<\/a>, was created in part to protest the paltry pay structure of these top BJJ institutions<\/a>, while many other promotions like WNO and Polaris have grown the professional scene in recent years. UFC BJJ \u2014 and UFC FPI before that \u2014 has been part of that group that\u2019s giving grapplers better opportunities to earn as a competitor, but this recent announcement is a step backwards.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe number one reason why jiu-jitsu is still an amateur sport, the number one reason why jiu-jitsu isn\u2019t a professional sport yet, is because of the athletes,\u201d Gadelha said in 2025. \u201cYou accept to be sold for free! You accept to go in there and put the best performances of your life, for a medal\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201dSomeone is making money off you, why are you not making money off you?\u201d Tecci previously said about the (lack of) pay in IBJJF.<\/p>\n The rapid growth of the pro grappling scene has forced ADCC to improve their pay structure<\/a> and even made IBJJF start hosting professional events<\/a> of their own. Instead of continuing on the path that\u2019s been improving the sport\u2019s payouts, TKO and its endless monetization<\/a> efforts saw an exploitative structure and unsurprisingly wanted their slice of the pie.<\/p>\n While they\u2019ve started to copy the IBJJF and ADCC Open formats, it\u2019s worth noting that Gadelha previously announced that they also plan to ban UFC BJJ athletes from competing in those two organizations<\/a>.<\/p>\n FOR THE LATEST BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU (BJJ) AND GRAPPLING-RELATED NEWS CLICK HERE<\/a>. FOR ADDITIONAL GRAPPLING CONTENT, FOLLOW @BJJBEAT ON INSTAGRAM<\/a>.![\"LAS](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/gettyimages-2177880732.jpg\"\/)
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