IBJJF age and weight divisions decide who you meet at an IBJJF tournament: people of the same belt, born around the same year as you, and close to your weight. Below are the official age divisions, the gi and no-gi weight classes and the weigh-in rules, all taken from the IBJJF rule book and the IBJJF event pages.
I have competed in jiu-jitsu once, at a local tournament in Dallas, as a white belt. It was not an IBJJF event. I was around 38 and weighed about 95 kg. Under IBJJF rules, that would have put me in Master 2, Super Heavy.
All numbers below were checked on ibjjf.com on October 7, 2026. IBJJF updates its charts, so check the weight chart on your own event's page before you register.
Key points
- Your age division depends on your birth year only: the current year minus the year you were born.
- Adult starts at 18. Master 1 starts at 30, and Master 7 starts at 61.
- Weight limits are measured with your uniform on. You weigh in once, right before your first match, and you are disqualified if you are over the limit.
- A master can register in a younger division, all the way down to Adult. You can enter only one division per tournament.
- A judo black belt, an MMA fighter or a wrestler cannot compete as a white belt at any IBJJF event.
IBJJF age divisions
| Division | Age in the tournament year | Match length |
|---|---|---|
| Juvenile 1 | 16 | 5 minutes |
| Juvenile 2 | 17 | 5 minutes |
| Adult | 18 and older | White 5, blue 6, purple 7, brown 8, black 10 minutes |
| Master 1 | 30 and older | White and blue 5, purple, brown and black 6 minutes |
| Master 2 | 36 and older | 5 minutes |
| Master 3 | 41 and older | 5 minutes |
| Master 4 | 46 and older | 5 minutes |
| Master 5 | 51 and older | 5 minutes |
| Master 6 | 56 and older | 5 minutes |
| Master 7 | 61 and older | 5 minutes |
The IBJJF rule book counts age with one formula: the current year minus your birth year. The IBJJF guide for a first championship says you check the year you were born, and the exact date of your birthday plays no part. If you were born in 1996, you are Master 1 at every IBJJF tournament in 2026, including one in January.
Between matches you get a minimum rest equal to one match length up to the semifinals. Before a final, the minimum rest is double the match length.
Kids have their own divisions: Mighty Mite from 4 to 6 years old with 2-minute matches, Pee Wee from 7 to 9 with 3 minutes, Junior from 10 to 12 and Teen from 13 to 15, both with 4 minutes.
Can a master compete in the Adult division?
Yes. IBJJF gives this example: a Master 2 can register in Master 2, Master 1 or Adult, while a Master 1 cannot register in Master 2 or higher. In other words, you can always move down in age, and you can move up only as far as your birth year allows.
You can register in only one division for the same championship. Kids and juveniles can only register in the division for their birth year.
IBJJF weight classes in the gi
These are the maximum weights for the Adult and Master divisions, with the gi on.
| Weight class | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Rooster | 57.5 kg / 127.0 lb | 48.5 kg / 107.0 lb |
| Light Feather | 64.0 kg / 141.6 lb | 53.5 kg / 118.0 lb |
| Feather | 70.0 kg / 154.6 lb | 58.5 kg / 129.0 lb |
| Light | 76.0 kg / 168.0 lb | 64.0 kg / 141.6 lb |
| Middle | 82.3 kg / 181.6 lb | 69.0 kg / 152.6 lb |
| Medium Heavy | 88.3 kg / 195.0 lb | 74.0 kg / 163.6 lb |
| Heavy | 94.3 kg / 208.0 lb | 79.3 kg / 175.0 lb |
| Super Heavy | 100.5 kg / 222.0 lb | No maximum |
| Ultra Heavy | No maximum | No division |
| Open Class | Any weight | Any weight |
Women have eight weight classes. For women, Super Heavy has no upper limit, and there is no Ultra Heavy division.
My own numbers show how the gi counts. At about 95 kg, I would have been over the Heavy limit of 94.3 kg before I even put the gi on, so I would have registered in Super Heavy.
IBJJF weight classes in no-gi
No-gi limits are lower than gi limits. The no-gi chart says the athlete is weighed in the no-gi uniform.
| Weight class | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Rooster | 55.5 kg / 122.6 lb | 46.5 kg / 103 lb |
| Light Feather | 61.5 kg / 136 lb | 51.5 kg / 114 lb |
| Feather | 67.5 kg / 149 lb | 56.5 kg / 125 lb |
| Light | 73.5 kg / 162.6 lb | 61.5 kg / 136 lb |
| Middle | 79.5 kg / 175.6 lb | 66.5 kg / 147 lb |
| Medium Heavy | 85.5 kg / 188.6 lb | 71.5 kg / 158 lb |
| Heavy | 91.5 kg / 202 lb | 76.5 kg / 169 lb |
| Super Heavy | 97.5 kg / 215 lb | No maximum |
| Ultra Heavy | No maximum | No division |
| Open Class | Any weight | Any weight |
Each event names its official unit. The 2027 European Championship weighs in kilograms, and the 2026 No-Gi World Championship weighs in pounds.
How the IBJJF weigh-in works
The IBJJF guide is clear: the weights on the chart are the highest allowed weight for that division, with the uniform on. Weighing in lighter is fine. Weighing in heavier than your division's limit gets you disqualified.
The official weigh-in happens immediately before your first fight, and you get only one attempt to make weight. Shoes are not allowed on the scale.
At my tournament in Dallas we weighed in on the same day, in the morning, in the gi, as far as I remember. I did not cut weight. I went to find out what a tournament is like.
The Open Class
The Open Class, or absolute, is the bracket with no weight limit. At IBJJF events, the athletes who placed first, second or third in their weight division can register for it. All adult black belts can register, and a black belt who signs up for the Open Class and then does not show up is disqualified from their weight division.
White belts have no Open Class. Juvenile blue and purple belts get two: Open Class Light, from Rooster to Light, and Open Class Heavy, from Middle to Ultra Heavy.
Who cannot compete as a white belt
IBJJF says that any athlete proven to be a black belt in judo, who has fought MMA professionally, has an amateur MMA record or has proven experience in wrestling, Olympic wrestling or Greco-Roman wrestling, cannot take part in any IBJJF event as a white belt.
This matters for people like me who train both arts. If you already hold a judo black belt, you cannot register as a white belt at an IBJJF event.
Your first tournament: what I would tell you
I lost both of my matches in Dallas. What I took from that day was how the start feels. When the referee says go, it is like a switch flips. All the tension and the adrenaline kick in, everything feels seven to ten times faster, and there is no time to think. You just act on instinct.
I went to that tournament as a white belt out of curiosity. I wanted to see how my body and my mind would react, and the result was the least important part. If I went to another one, I would prepare for real. Set a goal for why you are going, set aside the time, train to win and put the effort in. Going unprepared makes little sense.
If you are over 35, pick a tournament where the risk of injury is lower. I train at Gracie Barra, and Gracie Barra runs its own league for its members, CompNet. The CompNet 2026 season lists over 70 events, from local tournaments to regional and national championships. I have never competed at CompNet myself. I have been there to watch and to support my teammates, and in my view a tournament like that is the safest first step: everyone on the mat comes from the same school system with the same etiquette. At an open tournament with many different schools, people do not always follow the same norms, and the risk of getting hurt is higher. At 35 you carry more responsibility, so be more careful.
Whether to enter Master or Adult, and whether to cut weight, is your own call. It depends on how much you need it and how seriously you take it.
Pack a bag the night before with your gi, a warm layer, water and your ID. Our competition day essentials collection has the small things that help on the day. Then write down what happened in your BJJ training journal while you still remember it.
