North American Grappling Association


The North American Grappling Association is an organization started in 1995 that holds Submission Grappling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments 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. Current champion is Marko Ančić from Croatia

Skill Levels

Competitors in NAGA competitions are broken into weight divisions and skill levels. Skill levels are further divided into a two categories, Adults/Masters/Directors/Executives, and Children/Teens.

Adults/Masters/Directors/Executives

Total grappling experience includes but is not limited to; wrestling experience, BJJ experience, judo experience, sambo experience, JKD experience, etc. Any training that consists of grappling is counted towards your total experience.

Weight Divisions

Men's & Master's No-Gi & Gi, White Belts & Blue Belt Divisions

Men's Gi Purple; Brown & Black Belt Divisions

Master's Expert No-Gi & Gi Divisions (ages 30 yrs & above)

Men's Director's (40 yrs +) & Executive (50 yrs +) Divisions

Children's No-Gi & Gi Grappling Divisions (13 years of age & under)

Teen's NO-GI & GI Grappling Divisions (14 to 15) and (16 to 17) years of age

Reality Fighting

NAGA's MMA division, Reality Fighting, holds mixed martial arts events in New Jersey and Massachusetts. The rules that govern each match are set by each state's athletic commission.
Reality Fighting previous champions include BJJ Black Belt and UFC veteran Gabriel Gonzaga, and current Reality Fighting Light-Heavyweight Champion and The Ultimate Fighter television show veteran Mike Stewart. Notable fighters who fought in Reality Fighting: Frankie Edgar, Joe Lauzon, Kenny Florian, Tim Sylvia, Jorge Rivera, Kurt Pellegrino, Jim Miller, Dan Miller, Rob Font, Joe Proctor, Matt Bessette, Josh Diekman, Josh Grispi. Notable grappling champions Anthony Porcelli, Joe Forentino and Angelo Riveria Sr.