From May 24th to 26th, 2024, the Mandela Forum in Florence will become pulsating heart of Italian Jiu-Jitsu, hosting the highly anticipated 2024 edition of the Italian BJJ Open and the Jiu Jitsu Expo. These events, capturing the essence of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, offer an unrivaled opportunity for athletes, enthusiasts, and brands connected to the sport.

Italian BJJ Open: a stage for excellence

This year’s Italian BJJ Open, managed by the UIJJ – Unione Italian Jiu-Jitsu, promises to be the climactic event of the sport season, marking the culmination of the UIJJ rankings and the awarding of prizes to the most deserving athletes. With over 2000 participants expected, including a growing number of international competitors, the event is confirmed to be one of the top three largest and best-organized tournaments in Europe.

Ten competition areas will be set up to host three days of intense challenges, including a division for children. This year, there’s a 30% increase in registrations, surpassing 400 young athletes. In 2023, the total number of black belts reached 100, a significant figure considering that just a few years ago, the numbers were much lower. Since 2023, this year also featured several matches in the adult women’s black belt category, highlighting the event’s importance and growth.

Jiu-Jitsu Expo: a meeting point for the BJJ community
Born in 2022 alongside the 10th edition of the Italian BJJ Open, the Jiu-Jitsu Expo has quickly established itself as a unique event in Italy. It’s where the BJJ community comes together to network and build relationships, promoting Italian Jiu-Jitsu culture and offering unprecedented commercial opportunities even for international brands.

The organization is under UIJJ, the entity that is behind also OCEAN, the new exciting NOGI pro championship running with Trials all over Italy , with Semi and Finals in Sardinia during the BJJ Summer Week.

The shops in the Expo will showcase services and products related to BJJ and martial arts. Many old and new brands will attend the event, among many: BJJ Summer Week (the biggest BJJ Camp in the world), Half Sumo, Adidas Combat Sports, Keiko, Kingz, Tatami Fightwear, Progress and many more.

The 2023 edition was explosive, with many new stands added compared to the previous year, and free seminars led by prominent figures such as Michelle Nicolini and Italian Olympic judo champion Fabio Basile.

The third edition will take place on 24, 25 and 26 May 2024, at the Mandela Forum in Florence.

We will see Professors such as Alessandro Borgonovo, Matteo Patrone, Melissa Benedini, Alberto Tesi, Fabrizio Screpante, Ilia Pachkowsky, Riccardo Mezzetti, Matteo Menna alternating on the mats set up for the seminars, and brands such as Revive Fightwear, Bud Power, Half Sumo just to name a few.

An opportunity not to be missed
The UIJJ ranking, valid only for registered athletes in Italy, offers cash prizes that this year have increased from €3000 in previous editions to €5000. This ranking also represents financial support for the annual competition-related expenses, and including prizes for other belt levels as a free registrations for the entire annual UIJJ calendar.

Registrations for Italian BJJ Open close on May 17th at midnight, and details for participation can be found on the uijj.org website under the competitions section.

If you are interested in promoting your team or brand inside the Jiu-Jitsu Expo, you can contact the organization at expo@uijj.org.

Do not miss this high-quality Jiu-Jitsu event in Florence, where sport, culture, and passion converge in an event that promises to be unforgettable.

Amaury Bitetti teaching a guard pass at a seminar in Recife (photo by Junior Samurai/GRACIEMAG.com)

The first two-time winner of the World Championship absolute division (1996/97), Amaury Bitetti just kicked off his worldwide seminar tour.

“I’m already in London with the black belt André Bottino, and this Saturday we started work at  Wilson Junior’s Carlson Gracie Academy. Next we’ll head to Munich, and after that we’ll do seminars in Paris, Florence and Livorno. After that we’re heading to Jordan and Egypt,” Amaury recounts.

In the following video, Bitetti teaches how to break a grip and get the takedown, a good option to start off a match, wouldn’t you say? Let us  know what you make of it.