IBJJF Announces Pro League

By Lance Edwards

At the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World Championships this year, the center mats had a logo for the ‘Black Belt Championship’ on display. This led to speculation in the Jiu Jitsu community about a paid pro level Jiu Jitsu league. It transpires that this is in fact a reality, with the announcement of the IBJJF Pro League.

There are not a lot of details known as yet about the league or competitions that are planned. However, the first date, December 8^th 2012, has been announced.  The venue for the tournament is California State in Long Beach, California. The tournament will only include black belts, and nobody of lower grades will be allowed to participate.

At present, there are three men’s division brackets with eight top competitors in each category; however, more weight categories and a women’s division may be added at a later date.  It has not been announced as yet as to whether tournament participants will be able to compete in regular IBJJF tournaments or not. In addition, $15,000 in prize money is up for grabs, and no doubt over the next few months, more details will be made available.