NAGA Chicago Grappling Championship
Organized by NAGA
November 21, 2026 in Chicago hosts the NAGA Chicago Grappling Championship, with gi and no-gi divisions across all belts. The tournament includes absolute brackets and championship belts for adult winners as part of NAGA's national circuit.
Event Description
The NAGA Chicago Grappling Championship is a Midwest stop on the world's largest mixed grappling circuit, open to competitors from wrestling, judo, and other grappling backgrounds in addition to traditional BJJ. Divisions are organized by skill level (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Expert) rather than belt rank, with gi brackets following standard BJJ rules and no-gi brackets running under NAGA's own more permissive ruleset. The championship takes place Saturday, November 21, 2026 in Chicago, IL, with age divisions from 3 years old through 63 and up. Entry fees are tiered from around $79 early to $169 late, and adult champions take home a NAGA championship belt. Register through the NAGA Smoothcomp event page linked from this listing.
Divisions
Registration deadline: November 20, 2026
About NAGA
NAGA (North American Grappling Association) is a submission grappling and BJJ tournament promotion founded in 1995 by Kipp Kollar. One of the oldest and highest-volume tournament circuits in the sport, it runs gi and no-gi events across the US nearly every weekend, with divisions from age 4 through adult, using its own Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced/Expert skill-level system for no-gi divisions.
Rules
NAGA (North American Grappling Association) runs one of the largest grappling tournament circuits in the world, with gi and no-gi divisions for kids, teens, adults, and masters at every event. Divisions are grouped by age, weight, and experience level rather than strictly by belt in no-gi, and novice kids divisions do not allow submissions — the legal-technique list expands as competitors age up and move to more advanced divisions.
The no-gi divisions use NAGA's own ruleset, which differs from IBJJF scoring in a few important ways: takedowns and sweeps score 2 points (with extra points when a sweep finishes in a dominant position), and submission attempts themselves can score 1–2 points depending on how close they come to finishing. There are no advantages — if a match is tied, the referee decides it on aggression and initiation, rewarding whoever pushed the action hardest.
Gi divisions run under a more traditional points structure closely based on standard IBJJF-style scoring, so gi competitors will find the positional point values familiar. Because the gi and no-gi rules genuinely differ, competitors entering both should read both sections of the NAGA rulebook.
Always confirm the official rulebook before you compete — organizations update rules between seasons. See the official event page for current rules.
Community results
No results logged yet. Results show up here once competitors log them after the event.
Frequently asked questions
- When and where is this event?
- Saturday, November 21, 2026 in Chicago, IL.
- Is it BJJ-only?
- No, open to grapplers from any background.
- What is the division structure?
- Skill-based (Beginner-Expert), ages 3-63+.
- What are the no-gi rules?
- NAGA's own permissive ruleset allowing leg locks.
- What is the entry fee?
- Roughly $79 early to $169 late.
- What do winners receive?
- Adult winners get a NAGA championship belt.
BJJ gyms near Chicago, IL
Looking for a place to train before or after the tournament?
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