Join us for a day Queer & Trans Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
This event is centered on uplifting LGBTQIA+ individuals, and fostering the growth of the queer martial arts scene we have all been dreaming of. This inclusive space is open to everyone, whether you’re a seasoned or first-time fighter, an elder queer, egg, or ally. Expect an energizing and supportive environment where everyone belongs. Come as you are, and leave empowered, no matter your skill level.
Registration fee is $25 per fighter, per event. Need-based sponsorships are available; send us an email explaining your situation and we will provide you with a discount code for up to 100% of the registration fee. If you or someone you know owns a business that might be interested in sponsoring a fighter, please email us! BJJ superfight applications will be accepted until Saturday February 7th. BJJ tournament registration is open until Saturday February 28th at 8pm. NO LATE REGISTRATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
Funds from registration fees and prize pool donations will be divided between the final number of brackets. Competitors will take home all funds (or choose to donate them!); 1st place for each bracket gets 50%, 2nd gets 30%, and third gets 20%.
Please email openmatproject@proton.me with any questions about event registration
SCHEDULE
Open Mat
7-9pm Friday 3/6 at Ballard Jiu Jitsu
The weekend will kick off on Friday night with open mat time at Ballard Jiu Jitsu. Bring your crew and make some new friends! Feel free to spar, roll, or just hang out on the mats.
BJJ Tournament
9am Saturday 3/7 Location TBD
Check-in opens at 9am on Saturday March 7th. Fights start at 10am
Gi and nogi competitions, rule set can be found here. Participants will register by skill and weight categories. All brackets will be open to people of all genders.
We will try to make each bracket 3-5 people. Categories will be split or consolidated until we have brackets of at least 3 fighters. First we will consolidate gender categories, then weight, then skill. Each bracket will be round-robin.
This is a competition for queer and trans people. If you identify as queer and/or trans, you are welcome and encouraged to compete! This space IS for YOU! Take it up! If you like, please select the gender category that you feel best describes you, and your decision will not be questioned. Please note that many of the final brackets will include fighters from multiple gender and weight categories. We intend to ensure everyone has at least 2 matches.
BJJ Superfights: Angels Vs Demons
6pm Saturday 3/7, Location TBD
This year we will be hosting a Superfight card in the evening that will be more spectator-oriented that the tournament portion of the day. These will be seven individual matches, in a ring, with an audience. There will be an MC, music, food, and fun :) Similar structure to the event Fight to Win. We can not guarantee everyone who applies for a superfight will be matched, but the applications are open to folks of all skill levels. We would like to feature gi, nogi, and combat jiu jitsu matches. The theme for this event will be "Angels vs Demons". That means that for each fight, one person will be "representing" team Angels and the other will be representing team Demons. Please let us know if you have a preference in your application. We encourage folks to get dressed up beforehand and make it campy, and will require that the Angel wears a mostly white rash guard/gi and the Demon wears mostly black (let us know if you need wardrobe help and we will find you some gear). We also would absolutely love it if folks who are invited for a superfight would make promo or "faceoff" videos for social media, maybe saying something about your team affinity, but this is not required. There will be a trophy for the winning team.
BJJ Seminar
10am Sunday 3/8, Location TBD
The morning after the event we will host a free BJJ seminar taught by Molly Reis and Gwen Roote. This event is open to anyone who wants to learn, hang out, or roll around with us :)