Grapple Nights 2 - $1,500 Prize Pool

Note:  You must be invited to register, registration is not open on Smoothcomp. If you are interested in competing, please email us (email below) or DM on Instagram (@grapplejiujitsu).

Event Details

Date & Time: Saturday, September 20, 2025. Doors will open at 6:00 PM. Rules meeting at 6:15 PM. The tournament will begin at 6:30 PM.

Location: Grapple Jiu Jitsu, 5709 US-80, Pearl, MS 39208 (Inside Focus Fit Gym)

Contact Email: info@grapplebjj.com

Spectators

We welcome friends, family, and grappling enthusiasts to come enjoy this historical inaugural event! Tickets are $10 for spectators. Each participating gym is allowed one coach free of charge.

A live stream of the event will also be available on YouTube, free of charge.

Cash Prizes

The top 5 scorers of the Super Fight bouts (more on scoring system below) will receive $100 each. Tie breakers will be determined by fastest submission, and if necessary, one 1-minute round of EBI backpack overtime.

The winning team of the Advanced Absolute Trios match-up will receive a $1,000 cash prize.

Athlete Eligibility and Team Requirements

Super Fights can be matched for competitors of any skill level, gender, or weight. If a match-up cannot be found in time, your information will be saved as someone who's interested in a match and you can be considered for a future Grapple Nights event.

This event is open to adult competitors only; there are no kids divisions for this event.

We are looking for 20 athletes for the Super Fight matches. Note that if we have more than 20 athletes reach out and how interest, we are currently giving priority to lesser experienced athletes for the Super Fights for this event.

For teams, each captain is being invited by the Organizer, and they are free to choose their 2 teammates. There are no experience level or weight restrictions for any team members.

Fees

1. Super Fight fee is $25 per athlete.
2. Trios fee is $50 per athlete.
3. Spectators are welcome for $10 (Cash or Venmo at the door).

Competition Format

Ruleset: Professional Grappling Federation (PGF) rules

Super Fight Format: 10 Super Fight match-ups. Each match-up will have two matches (non-consecutively, with same person) for a total of 20 Super Fights. Draws will result in a Referee Decision.

Team Format: Quintet-style (athletes who win by submission will stay on the mats and face the next athlete from the opposing team)

Team Bracket Flow: Team Captains will determine their roster order before their leg of the bracket starts. The roster order will NOT be shared with anyone. Once a team bout starts, the roster order cannot be changed.

Match Time Limit: 6 minutes, except when either team is down to their last athlete, in which case the match time limit will be 10 minutes.

Win Condition: The bout between two teams is over when a team is out of athletes to send out. If both teams are out of athletes to send out, a 2 minute break will occur immediately followed by another 10 minute round. If two 10-minute rounds are exhausted, the result will be determined by one 3 1-minute EBI backpack rounds.

Scoring System

The PGF scoring system emphasizes individual skill and team strategy, rewarding athletes for submission victories:

Chokes (Kills): 6 points

Joint Locks (Breaks): 3 points

Fast Submission Bonus: 1 additional point for submissions achieved in under a minute

Draws or Referee Decisions: 0 points

Disallowed Techniques

All submissions are legal at all levels. However, the following techniques are banned and will result in immediate disqualification:

1. Jumping guard
2. Any technique where bodyweight moves in the direction of the opponent's knees (ex: kani basami)
3. Flying submissions are allowed, but if poorly executed and weight moves in the direction that is below the hips of the opponent, this will result in a disqualification
4. Slamming (whether the athlete is in an active submission or not)
5. Holding submissions if your opponent lifts you above their hip line (ex: if they can't slam you, you can't game the system and hold a triangle above their hip line — you must let it go)

Anti-Stalling Rules

To promote an active and engaging grappling environment, the PGF enforces strict anti-stalling measures:

20-Second Shot Clock: Athletes must initiate a "deep shot" attempt within 20 seconds, defined as an explosive maneuver (even at the risk of exposing themself) to get out of a pin and pose a real threat to the other player. Shot clock is typically called on the bottom player, even if they are completely pinned.

Excessive Avoidance Penalty: Competitors must actively attempt to escape, advance, or submit. Passive survival tactics are insufficient. If penalized for excessive avoidance, the athlete will be placed on the bottom in the "Tabletop Position," and the match will resume.

Specific Anti-Stalling Criteria:

1. Engagement Avoidance: Deliberately avoiding engagement, such as taking three or more steps backward, is prohibited.

2. Progressive Action: Athletes are required to actively seek positional advancement, submission attempts, or escapes, rather than maintaining a static or purely defensive posture.

3. Continuous Combativity: Competitors must demonstrate ongoing efforts to create and engage in offensive maneuvers. Prolonged inactivity or non-engagement is not permitted.

Penalties for Stalling

- Three Penalties: If an athlete incurs three penalties and the match results in a draw, the opponent without penalties is awarded 2 points. The match will continue, but if it goes to a decision the decision will automatically go to the athlete who did not incur three penalties.

- Five Penalties: Accumulating five penalties results in immediate disqualification, awarding the opponent 2 points.

- Submission Must Occur: A submission must occur in order to stay on the mats.

We look forward to seeing you on the mats!