bjjproblems.com — every take, since 2013
Every snarky take on real BJJ news.
May 28, 2026, 03:42 PM
Mario Lopez, 52, Won an IBJJF Title Yesterday and Got a Brown Belt on the Podium
When you picture someone walking into the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach for the IBJJF Master International North American Championship, submitting their opponent in the lightweight division, and then getting promoted to brown belt on the podium — you probably don't picture A.C. Ma
May 28, 2026, 12:15 PM
Danaher Exposes BJJ Coaching Waste: Why Most Gyms Fail Students
When John Danaher says your coach is wasting your time and money, he's not being provocative — he's being precise. And that precision is the problem.
May 28, 2026, 10:00 AM
PGF Season 10 Expands to 8 Teams: Talent or Oversaturation?
The Professional Grappling Federation is doing what every sports league does when it thinks it's figured out the formula: it's doubling down. Season 10 roster expansion from 4 to 8 teams.
May 27, 2026, 09:00 PM
ADCC Kraków 2026 Struggles with Only 11% Tickets Sold
ADCC 2026 in Kraków is supposed to be the crown jewel of the grappling calendar. The athletes you actually care about.
May 27, 2026, 05:51 PM
UFC BJJ Launches Amateur Tournament Circuit for 2026
For a sport that's always debating its mainstream appeal, this is a development. UFC BJJ just announced their first-ever open tournaments for amateur competitors, set to kick off in Fall 2026.
May 27, 2026, 02:55 PM
Rafael Lovato Jr. Wrestles College at 42 After BJJ Dominance
When you've achieved just about everything in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, earned a black belt under one of the sport's most revered names, conquered the pro grappling circuit, and won a major MMA title, what's left? For most, that's a career arc ending in retirement, coaching, or broadc
May 27, 2026, 12:30 PM
RAF 9 Card Features UFC Stars — Why Fans Still Question Credentials
When MMA purists complain about 'wrestlefing,' it's usually after a grueling three-round decision where two highly credentialed grapplers spent most of the fight in a clinch or controlling position. It's hard to blame them.
May 27, 2026, 10:00 AM
Gilbert Burns Returns to Grappling at UFC BJJ 9 vs. Monteiro
When you're Gilbert 'Durinho' Burns, a UFC welterweight contender fresh out of a grueling war, what's a guy to do with some downtime? Apparently, you don't take a vacation.
May 24, 2026, 08:12 PM
Sean Strickland Is a Two-Time UFC Middleweight Champion. That Sentence Shouldn't Make Sense.
Sean Strickland is a two-time UFC middleweight champion. Not because it's hard to believe — it happened, the scorecards are real, the belt is around his waist — but because the entire narrative infrastructure the UFC built over the last two years just collapsed in Newark, New Jer
May 23, 2026, 07:00 PM
Mica Galvão Reveals Childhood Abuse, Gun Threats Under Father Melqui
When you're a child prodigy in jiu-jitsu, the story usually goes one of two ways. Either you're a natural talent backed by a supportive team, or you're the product of a parent pushing you hard to succeed.
May 23, 2026, 04:00 PM
Khabib Nurmagomedov Denies Dana White's Claims About UFC Retirement
When you've done everything in your combat sport, retired undefeated, and left a lasting legacy, you'd think the story of your career would be set. Especially when your reasons for retiring are as clear and emotional as a promise to your grieving mom.
May 23, 2026, 01:00 PM
UFC 327 Was a Knockout Party. The One Grappler Invited Didn't Even Show.
UFC 327 was a knockout fest in Miami. Carlos Ulberg blew out his knee in the first round, then knocked Jiri Prochazka out cold to win the light heavyweight title.
May 22, 2026, 07:00 PM
Khamzat Chimaev's Toughest Opponent at RAF 10? His Own Knee, Five Weeks Post-UFC 328
Joe Rogan watched Khamzat Chimaev lose for the first time, and his first concern wasn't the scorecard. It was Chimaev's knees.
May 22, 2026, 03:00 PM
Chuck Liddell Just Put Down the Guy Who Claims Nobody Can Take Him Down
When you put a bounty on your own head, you'd better be ready for the grappling community to come knocking. Georgio Poullas, a wrestling personality who's clearly confident in his ability to avoid getting taken down, decided to put his money where his mouth is and offered $1,000
May 22, 2026, 12:08 PM
BJJ Coach's 'Don't Tap' Call Leads to Fractured Arm Debate
When you sign up for a BJJ tournament, you're signing up for chaos. Questionable ref decisions, mystery meat at the concession stand, and that 14-year-old phenom who somehow weighs 190 lbs and moves like a cat – it's all part of the experience.
May 22, 2026, 09:53 AM
Helena Crevar vs. Paige Ivette Clymer: High-Stakes Grappling at ONE Championship
When you hear 'youngest ADCC podium placer' and 'ADCC Trials winner' in the same sentence, you know somebody at ONE Championship finally decided to give the fans what they actually want: pure, unadulterated, high-level grappling competition. We're talking about Helena Crevar goin
May 21, 2026, 09:00 PM
The Grappling Specialist Who Just Got Out-Grappled by a Striker Has Some Thoughts on Jiu-Jitsu
When you've built your brand on being an unstoppable force of Dagestani wrestling and power grappling, admitting that a nuanced, often-misunderstood discipline like jiu-jitsu is 'one of the most important skills' for MMA success is… well, it’s a moment. For Khamzat Chimaev, that
May 21, 2026, 08:45 PM
Dagestani Mikey: From Staph to Heel Hook to Calling Out Tsarukyan, The Layers Of Irony Keep Stacking
The man they called a butt scooter is about to defend a UFC title. Mikey Musumeci — five-time IBJJF world champion, the best pure jiu-jitsu player at 125 pounds, and the human being specifically targeted by the UFC BJJ no-butt-scooting rule that the promotion quietly abandoned on
May 21, 2026, 08:00 PM
Mikey Musumeci's IBJJF Rant: 'Attacking Jiu-Jitsu' Is a Liability... Except When He's Attacking His Way to World Titles
When you're two weeks out from defending a UFC BJJ title under submission-only rules, but can't resist taking shots at the IBJJF's points system, you know you're dealing with Mikey Musumeci. The five-time IBJJF world champion turned UFC BJJ titleholder has never been shy about hi
May 21, 2026, 06:51 PM
Roosevelt Sousa Has a 3-Year IBJJF Ban for Meldonium. He's Still Challenging For The UFC BJJ Title.
When Roosevelt Sousa steps onto the mats for UFC's inaugural BJJ championship next month, he'll be doing so under a cloud of controversy that perfectly encapsulates the fractured state of competitive grappling governance. The Brazilian heavyweight is currently serving a 3-year IB
May 21, 2026, 09:46 AM
Ulpiano Malachias, Gracie Barra 5th Degree and One of Brazil's Most Beloved BJJ Figures, Has Passed Away
The mats in Houston are quieter today. Professor Ulpiano Malachias, a 5th-degree black belt under Carlos Gracie Jr.
May 21, 2026, 12:43 AM
Gordon Ryan's New Gym Sold $20,000 Lifetime Memberships — Limited to Five People — While He's Retired
When you're the most dominant no-gi grappler of your generation but take an indefinite competition hiatus, what's your next move? If you're Gordon Ryan, you launch a gym with $20,000 lifetime memberships — and limit them to five people.
May 21, 2026, 12:40 AM
Tainan Dalpra and Gabi Pessanha Are Nine Days From Grand Slam Immortality — With USADA Testing Standing Between Them and the Trophy
When you're nine days from becoming one of the greatest competitors in the history of jiu-jitsu, the math is simple. Secure the Grand Slam.
May 20, 2026, 06:00 PM
RAF 9 Is Eleven Days Out — Gable Steveson Debuts, Covington Faces Weidman, and Five UFC Names Are on One Card
When you hear 'wrestling promotion,' your brain probably pictures a dusty college field house, a single table of volunteers, and a guy with a clipboard arguing about weight classes. RAF 9 on May 30 in Arlington, Texas is not that.
May 20, 2026, 05:00 PM
Mason Fowler Couldn't Defend His SUG Title Last Friday — His UFC BJJ Contract Made Him the First Concrete Casualty of the Exclusivity Policy
When the UFC announced its BJJ exclusivity contracts earlier this year, the grappling community mostly reacted with shrugged shoulders and wait-and-see energy. It sounded like corporate fine print — the kind of clause that exists in documents nobody reads until someone's already
May 20, 2026, 04:00 PM
UFC BJJ 9 Is June 4 — Nicky Rod vs. Roosevelt Sousa and Ffion Davies Return Are the Headline
When UFC decided to get into the grappling event business, a lot of practitioners had questions. Like: will these be real grappling matches, or just celebrities awkwardly pummeling each other while Dana White grins at a production monitor?
May 20, 2026, 02:43 PM
Larry Wheels Has a 660-Pound Bench. He Got Tapped By a 135-Pound Bantamweight Who Is Also Significantly Less Strong.
You already know how this ends. You knew the second you read the headline, because if you've trained jiu-jitsu for more than six months, you've lived a version of this.
May 20, 2026, 12:32 PM
ADCC's Ticket-Sales Crisis Has a Number: 1,724 Sold, 9,351 Empty, 4 Per Day
That's the current sales pace for ADCC 2026, booked for September 12–13 at TAURON Arena Kraków, a venue with 14,941 available seats. BJJ World scraped live ticket availability data across 22 active sales sections of the arena and published the count: 1,724 sold, 9,351 still avail
May 20, 2026, 09:46 AM
Kron Gracie Publicly Says His Father Rickson's MMA Advice 'Isn't Working' — And Has Never Worked
Rickson Gracie's MMA advice never worked. That's not an outsider's take.
May 19, 2026, 11:34 PM
Khamzat Chimaev's Corner Told Him He Was Winning. He Wasn't. Now He's Wrestling Dillon Danis to Earn a Rematch.
The fight wasn't decided in the Octagon. It was decided on the corner stool between rounds four and five.