The North American Grappling Association (NAGA) is an organization started in 1995 that holds Submission Grappling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsutournaments throughout North America and Europe. NAGA is the largest submission grappling association in the world with over 200,000 participants world-wide, including some of the top submission grapplers and MMA fighters in the world. NAGA grappling tournaments consist of gi and no-gi divisions. No-Gi competitors compete under rules drafted by NAGA. Gi competitors compete under standardized Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu rules. NAGA also promotes MMA events which they term Reality Fighting.
Naga in Paris, France
According to a recent article by hardtfordbusiness.com, NAGA is pulling in nearly $4 million in gross revenue per year. They had 60 tournaments worldwide in 2015.
Kipp Kollar saw an opportunity with a new sport 21 years ago and seized upon it.
The former white-collar insurance professional turned entrepreneur founded the North American Grappling Association (NAGA), which is based out of his Marlborough home and posted nearly $4 million in gross revenue last year, hosting wrestling-style events across the globe.
A Global Reach
NAGA bills itself as promoting the largest submission grappling tournaments in the world. It held 60 tournaments last year across the U.S., and in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Monaco and Brazil, or more than one per weekend on average.
One recent weekend in April, about 2,200 people competed in two NAGA events in Honolulu and Morristown, N.J., Kollar said.
“There isn’t anybody that runs as many tournaments as us nationally and there certainly isn’t anybody who runs them internationally except … for [the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation],” said Kollar.
NAGA is, by far, the largest grappling league, said Kirik Jenness, the official records keeper for mixed martial arts and owner of MMA.TV and Mixedmartialarts.com.
“If you look at the number of events per year, particularly over time … that’s when you get a sense of how truly dominant NAGA is,” Jenness said.
The grappling is really where we make our money because we’re not paying fighters to fight, they’re paying us — it’s an amateur sport,” he said of entry fees that run about $100.
Winners get medals, belts or samurai swords. NAGA offers divisions for all ages and skill levels.
Tournaments can attract more than 1,000 competitors. NAGA also makes money at the door from family and friends and other spectators, and from merchandise sales like T-shirts. The organization has an 18-wheeler and two smaller box trucks that travel the country hauling mats, merchandise and other equipment for the tournaments. One of the smaller trucks is dedicated to Reality Fighting equipment.
Robbie Brown, who owns Robbie B’s barbershop in Colchester, has grappled in one NAGA event and fought in three of its Reality Fighting MMA events.
“They run a very good show, I mean people love Kipp, people love the organization, the referees are all good, good people,” Brown said of NAGA.
Brown said NAGA tournaments are the best grappling competitions around, allowing athletes to test their skills by competing in a live match.
