Four events. The same weight division. No points race.
And for the black belts who can keep winning, there is up to €10,000 on the table.
Italy’s UIJJ has introduced a new Grand Slam format for the 2026/27 season, built around a simple but unforgiving concept: win four consecutive events in the same division and complete the run.
The prize is €5,000 for completing the Grand Slam in Gi and another €5,000 in No-Gi. An athlete who manages to complete both campaigns can therefore earn a total of €10,000 across the four-event series.
For those unfamiliar with the organization, UIJJ is the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition circuit organized by the BJJ sector of FIJLKAM, with its activity in Italy covering competition, technical standards, referee development, belt certification and coach education.
The Grand Slam arrives as UIJJ marks 15 years since the project was launched in 2011 – and it is being presented as only the first of several initiatives the Italian organization is bringing forward.
But unlike a traditional seasonal ranking, this one leaves almost no room for error.
The circuit starts at the Milano BJJ Challenge on November 28-29, followed by the Roma BJJ Challenge, Bologna BJJ Challenge and, finally, the Italian BJJ Open.
To complete the Grand Slam, an athlete has to win the same weight division at all four events.
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The financial structure makes the run particularly interesting.
A qualifying division win at each of the first three events pays €300 per discipline (€600 if you win your chosen weight category in the Gi and No Gi in the same stage). Reach the Italian BJJ Open still unbeaten and win again, and the final victory pays another €4,100, bringing the total to €5,000.
Do it in both Gi and No-Gi and the maximum doubles to €10,000.
And money already earned at an earlier stage stays earned. If an athlete wins Milan and Rome but loses later in the series, the prizes collected from those previous victories are not taken back.
Gi and No-Gi are also treated as completely separate campaigns. Losing in No-Gi does not eliminate an athlete who is still undefeated in Gi, and vice versa.
There are a few important catches.
The Grand Slam is reserved for athletes competing as Adult black belts, although athletes who normally fall into a Master age division are eligible if they enter and compete in Adult throughout the entire run.
There is also no way to join midway through the season. Milan is mandatory. Only athletes who win their division at the opening event can move forward in Grand Slam contention.
And an empty bracket will not do it either: a competitor must actually contest and win at least one match for the result to count toward the Grand Slam.
There is no additional Grand Slam entry fee or separate registration. Eligible black belts enter the regular UIJJ event in Gi, No-Gi or both and, provided they meet the requirements, their Grand Slam campaign starts from there.
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The new format is also part of a wider push from UIJJ.
The organization has indicated that a broader recap of the projects being developed in Italy, several of them aimed well beyond the domestic scene and toward athletes across continental Europe, will be released shortly through its social channels.
For now, however, the Grand Slam is the first one already on the table.
Whether Europe’s established black belts decide to chase it will become clearer over the coming months.
But anyone who wants a shot at the €5,000, or potentially the full €10,000, has only one place to start:
Milan, November 28-29.
Full Grand Slam rules:
https://www.uijj.org/it/regolamento-grand-slam.html
Complete FAQ:
https://www.uijj.org/it/faq-grand-slam.html
Milano BJJ Challenge 2026 registration:
https://www.uijj.org/it/elenco-gare/milano-bjj-challenge-2026
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