NAGA North American Grappling Championship
Organized by NAGA
November 21, 2026 in Hillsborough Township, New Jersey hosts NAGA's North American Grappling Championship, with gi and no-gi divisions across all belts. The event includes absolute brackets and draws competitors from across the Northeast.
Event Description
The NAGA North American Grappling Championship is one of the flagship stops on NAGA's circuit, open to grapplers of any background and organized into skill-based Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Expert divisions rather than a strict belt system. Gi brackets run standard BJJ rules while no-gi brackets follow NAGA's own more permissive ruleset that allows leg locks. The championship takes place Saturday, November 21, 2026 in Hillsborough Township, NJ, with age divisions from 3 years old through 63 and older. Entry fees run on a tiered schedule from around $79 early to $169 late, and adult winners 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 Hillsborough Township, NJ.
- Is it BJJ-only?
- No.
- What divisions are offered?
- Skill-based, ages 3-63+.
- What are the no-gi rules?
- NAGA's permissive ruleset with leg locks allowed.
- What is the entry fee?
- Roughly $79 early to $169 late.
- What do winners receive?
- A NAGA championship belt for adult winners.
BJJ gyms near Hillsborough Township, NJ
Looking for a place to train before or after the tournament?
More tournaments in New Jersey
- NJBJJF SUMMER CLASSIC 2026Aug 23 · Manalapan Township
- Kids ROLLSTAR Rumbles | Summer 2026Aug 29 · Hackensack
- NEWBREED NEW JERSEY FALL CHAMPIONSHIPSep 5 · Metuchen
- JJWL New Jersey VISep 12 · Trenton
- IBJJF Pan No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2026Oct 2 · Secaucus
- 2026 Princeton Judo Fall InvitationalOct 4 · Princeton
Competing here?
Add this tournament to your passport so you can log your result after the event. (You still need to register with the organizer separately.)
Competing for the first time?
Is this your tournament? Update your listing.