The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, or IBJJF, organizes some of the biggest BJJ events in the world, including the Pans Championships, the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship and more. 

And to help those tournaments be organized, structured and fair, the IBJJF, like other combat sports, has designed a weight class system. 

Here's what you need to know about the IBJJF weight classes. 

IBJJF Weight Classes

The IBJJF uses the following weight classes for gi competitions:

Male

• Rooster (57.5kg/126.5lbs)
• Light Feather (64kg/141lbs)
• Feather (70kg/154lbs)
• Light (76kg/167lbs)
• Middle (82.3kg/181lbs)
• Medium Heavy (88.3kg/195lbs)
• Heavy (94.3kg/208lbs)
• Super Heavy (97.5kg/215lbs)
• Ultra Heavy (No maximum)

Female

• Rooster: 107 lbs (47.5 kg)
• Light Feather: 115 lbs (52.2 kg)
• Feather: 125.5 lbs (57 kg)
• Light: 138.5 lbs (62.8 kg)
• Middle: 152.0 lbs (69.1 kg)
• Medium Heavy: 167.5 lbs (76.1 kg)
• Heavy: 181.5 lbs (82.3 kg)
• Super Heavy: (No maximum)

Here are the IBJJF no-gi weight categories:

Male

• Rooster (55.5 kg/122.5 lbs)
• Light-Feather (61.5 kg/136 lbs)
• Feather: (67.5 kg/149 lbs)
• Light: (73.5 kg/162.5 lbs)
• Middle: (79.5 kg/175.5 lbs)
• Middle Heavy: (85.5 kg/188.5 lbs)
• Heavy: (91.5 kg /202 lbs)
• Super Heavy: (97.5 kg /215 lbs)
• Ultra-Heavy: (No maximum)

Female

• Rooster: 46.5 kg (103 lbs)
• Light-Feather: 51.5 kg (114 lbs)
• Feather: 56.5 kg (125 lbs)
• Light: 61.5 kg (136 lbs)
• Middle: 66.5 kg (147 lbs)
• Middle Heavy: 71.5 kg (158 lbs)
• Heavy: 76.5 kg (169 lbs)
• Super Heavy: No maximum

The weight classes are designed to be fair for athletes of all sizes and to ensure that there is a competitive pool of athletes in each division. Athletes are required to weigh in their gis, which generally weigh between 2 lbs and 4 lbs.

The IBJJF weight classes are generally considered to be the standard for jiu-jitsu competitions, especially in gi competition.

The Open Weight Categories

IBJJF competitions feature open classes, sometimes called absolute divisions. These divisions, open to competitors in the blue, purple, brown and black belt ranks, allow athletes from different weight categories to compete together. The winner of this division is called the absolute champion.

Here are some of the benefits of using weight classes in jiu-jitsu:

• Weight classes help to ensure that there is a competitive pool of athletes in each division.
• Weight classes help to ensure that the competition is fair for athletes of all sizes.