IBJJF — International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation

What is the IBJJF?

The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) is a private championship organiser and rule-maker for Brazilian jiu-jitsu. It is not an association of national federations: it runs its own events, writes its own rules and grading system, and admits athletes and academies as members directly.^[1][5] The IBJJF’s 2026 World Championship page gives the organisation’s name as “International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation Inc.”, a corporate form.^[5] The terms of use of the IBJJF website are issued by “International BJJ, Inc” and state that they “shall be governed by and defined following the laws of California, United States”, with the California courts given exclusive jurisdiction.^[8]

The federation competes in gi jiu-jitsu, the form practised in the kimono, and also stages no-gi championships; its results archive lists a European No-Gi championship from 2012.^[7] It is one of several organisers in the sport. Submission grappling’s ADCC World Championship is run separately, and the Ju-Jitsu International Federation (JJIF), a different body, lists “Jiu-Jitsu”, its newaza (ground-fighting) discipline, among the disciplines it governs.^[9] Titles won at IBJJF events are IBJJF titles.

What does the IBJJF govern or do?

The IBJJF writes the rules of its competitions. Its current rulebook is the IBJJF Rule Book, version 6.0, dated June 2024, published with a Rules Update Guide for that version and a poster of technical fouls and illegal moves dated 1 January 2024.^[2] It also publishes the IBJJF Graduation System, the document that sets its belt ranks and the conditions for promotion between them; the file linked on its site carries a June 2026 date in its name.^[3] The site carries a Black Belt Certification process and a public list of certified black belts.^[12]

The IBJJF ranks athletes and academies: its site publishes a 2026 athletes’ ranking and a 2026 academies’ ranking.^[1] Ranking points are a condition of entry at the top level: the 2026 World Championship page states “80 IBJJF ranking points required for Black belt division.”, and requires every athlete to hold active IBJJF membership through the event dates.^[5]

On anti-doping, the IBJJF states that it “abides by the provisions of the World Anti-Doping Code” and the WADA Prohibited List, adding: “While IBJJF is not a signatory to the Code, IBJJF recognizes the importance of clean competition.” Testing at its events is carried out by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) under contract.^[4] On 25 September 2026 the IBJJF published revised podiums for the 2026 World Championship after two anti-doping cases reported by USADA, changing results in the adult male black-belt heavyweight division, the adult female black-belt super-heavyweight and open-class divisions, and the team standings.^[6] The IBJJF sets rules for its own events only; other organisers run their own rules and rankings.

When was the IBJJF founded and where is it based?

No IBJJF page opened — home page, rules, graduation system, anti-doping, event pages, results archive or terms of use — states a founding date or a street address for the federation.^[1][8] Secondary reference sources give 2002: the English Wikipedia article says the IBJJF was created by Carlos Gracie Jr. in 2002 and places its headquarters in Rio de Janeiro.^[10] BJJ Heroes, a jiu-jitsu reference site, describes Carlos Gracie Jr. as “the founding member of the CBJJ and IBJJF”.^[11] The 2002 date and the Rio de Janeiro seat could not be confirmed from a primary source.

The IBJJF’s competition record begins earlier than 2002. Its own results archive opens with the Campeonato Brasileiro de Jiu-Jitsu of 1994 and lists the World Championship from 1996, the Pan Championship from 1996 and the European Championship from 2004.^[7] In Brazil the Confederação Brasileira de Jiu-Jitsu (CBJJ) keeps its own site and calendar of events in Brazilian cities.^[14]

The legal documents available point to the United States: the website terms are issued under California law, and the World Championship, the IBJJF’s annual gi event, is held in Long Beach, California.^[8][5]

How is the IBJJF recognised?

The IBJJF is not an Olympic-movement federation, and none of the IBJJF documents opened claims recognition by the IOC, membership of ARISF, GAISF/SportAccord or the International World Games Association, or recognition by a continental Games organiser.^[1][4] Its standing rests on the events it runs, the rules and grading system it publishes, and the membership it requires of those who compete.^[2][5]

Anti-doping. The IBJJF states that it is not a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Code.^[4] USADA, quoted in the IBJJF’s notice of 25 September 2026, says the same: “Although the IBJJF is not a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Code (the Code), USADA was contracted by the IBJJF to conduct testing for the event”.^[6]

Other bodies in jiu-jitsu. The sport has no single international federation recognised by the IOC in the documents opened. The Ju-Jitsu International Federation, based in Abu Dhabi, lists SportAccord, AIMS, The World Games (IWGA), WADA, Peace and Sport, the Olympic Council of Asia and FISU under the recognitions on its site, and names “Jiu-Jitsu”, its newaza discipline, alongside its duo, show, fighting, para, self-defence and contact disciplines.^[9] The JJIF and the IBJJF are separate organisations with separate rulebooks and championships. In Brazil the CBJJ publishes its own calendar of events.^[14]

What does the IBJJF organise?

The IBJJF’s central event is the World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship, known as the Mundials. Its results archive lists an edition every year from 1996 to 2019 and from 2021 to 2026, with none in 2020.^[7] The 2026 edition was held from 28 to 31 May 2026 at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid, 1250 N Bellflower Blvd, Long Beach, California, in blue, purple, brown and black belt divisions for juvenile and adult athletes.^[5] Its results were revised on 25 September 2026.^[6] See the World Championship for the edition record.

The archive also lists the Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship from 1996, the European Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship from 2004 and the Campeonato Brasileiro de Jiu-Jitsu from 1994, each with a 2026 edition, and a Brasileiro for ages 4 to 15.^[7] The European Championship’s 2026 results were finalised on 29 January 2026.^[13] Below these the IBJJF runs open championships in cities across the United States, Brazil and elsewhere, which feed its athlete and academy rankings.^[7][1]

The IBJJF’s events are open championships entered by individual members, who compete for their academies rather than for national teams; no national selection is involved.^[5]

Who are its members?

The IBJJF’s members are individuals and academies, not national federations. An athlete must hold active IBJJF membership, registered under a current belt rank and academy, to enter its championships: “Athletes must have active membership through the event dates under their current belt rank and academy in order to register for championships.”^[5]

Academies register with the federation, and the IBJJF publishes a list of registered academies and ranks them by results in a separate academies’ ranking.^[1] The site carries a Black Belt Certification section and a public list of certified black belts.^[12] The belt ranks that determine an athlete’s division are set by the IBJJF Graduation System.^[3]

The IBJJF publishes no total count of members, academies or countries on the pages opened. Its results pages list competitors with their academy, not a nation, and its World Championship divisions are organised by belt, age group, sex and weight, so that one edition crowns many champions.^[5][7] In Brazil, the CBJJ publishes its own calendar of events in Brazilian cities.^[14]