UFC BJJ Opens Las Vegas 2026: What You Need to Know

UFC BJJ just launched a new tournament series, the UFC BJJ Opens Las Vegas, and the first event will be taking place this August. If you run a Jiu-Jitsu, martial arts, or grappling academy, this one is worth putting on your calendar, both for your competitors and for your business.

UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) Opens are a new nationwide tournament circuit run by the same organization behind the UFC BJJ 1 through 9 events. The goal of the event is to give athletes of every age and skill level a structured path from local mats to a UFC BJJ contract and eventually a world title. The Las Vegas event in August is the first of four planned for 2026. Phoenix, Fort Lauderdale, Indianapolis, and Atlanta have already been announced for the fall.

Why You Should Send Your Team to UFC BJJ Opens Las Vegas

Your students train year-round. The UFC BJJ Opens Las Vegas event will give them somewhere to put that work on display, and could contribute to increased academy retention. Plus, it gives your school a reason to rally around something bigger than the usual class work on the mats.

Here are five reasons this one is worth the trip:

1. It’s the first event in a brand-new series. Athletes who compete here are part of the first group under the UFC BJJ Opens banner, which is a unique bragging right.
2. There’s an incentive for your more advanced competitors. Brown and black belt divisions carry a cash prize for first place, on top of medals for the top three finishers in every division. Since the cash prize is limited to the higher belts, it keeps the incentive tied to appropriate skill levels.
3. Who doesn’t love a free t-shirt? Every competitor gets a commemorative UFC BJJ Opens Las Vegas t-shirt. It’s a small touch that still matters for your team to look back on this event years later.
4. The format rewards action. UFC BJJ Opens use an adjusted ruleset built to encourage more offense and a faster pace than a lot of traditional tournaments. If your students have been training for scrambles and finishes rather than stalling out a win on points, this format should suit them.
5. There’s a business angle too. When your school shows up to an event like this, there’s plenty of natural content to add to your school marketing strategy. Plus, you can stop by the Wodify booth to chat with our team about how to save time and run a smarter academy.

The UFC BJJ Opens Las Vegas Agenda

Dates: Saturday, August 22, and Sunday, August 23, 2026.

Location: Las Vegas Convention Center, 3150 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, NV 89109.

Registration: Participants can register here for the 2026 UFC BJJ Opens Las Vegas event.

Doors open at 8:00 AM both days, with first matches starting at 9:00 AM. Saturday is set up as no-gi competition, Sunday as gi.

Here are the divisions, with white, blue, and purple belts competing in multiple matches, and brown and black belts running single elimination:

• Youth (ages 8 to 17, based on birth year) – male and female divisions
• Adult (18+) – male and female divisions
• Masters I (30+), II (40+), and III (50+) – male and female divisions

Weight classes run from Youth 55 up through Heavyweight (206+), with standard adult classes like flyweight, lightweight, welterweight, and middleweight in between. Full weight class breakdowns are on the UFC BJJ Opens Las Vegas event page. Weigh-ins happen one hour before an athlete’s first scheduled match.

Cost: early bird registration was $150 and closed July 22. Regular registration is $175, and a second division entry runs $75. Registration closes August 19, with the schedule releasing that same day and brackets going out on August 20.

One thing worth flagging for your athletes: refunds only go out if a competitor is the only one signed up in their division. Outside of that, registration fees are not refundable, so it’s worth locking in weight and belt levels before signing up.

The Wodify Team Will See You in Vegas

This is the first event in what UFC is positioning as a real pipeline into UFC BJJ, and it’s close enough for most West Coast schools to make it a weekend trip. Whether you’re bringing competitors to UFC BJJ Opens Las Vegas or just going to watch, an event carrying the UFC name is the kind of thing that gets talked about at your gym long after the medals are handed out.

​While you’re there, be sure to stop by the Wodify booth to meet our team, get some swag, and learn more about how Wodify can help you run and grow your academy.

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​Need help? Wodify is proud to help academy owners build and run successful businesses, and we’d love to help you, too! Book a demo with our team today to find out more.

Pro Tip: There are some simple ways to level up your sales process and get more students in your academy. Download the “Mat to Member Playbook” today!