| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Submission wrestling, Grappling, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Tounament Promotion |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Founder(s) | Brian Cimins |
| Headquarters | , United States |
| Website | Grapplersquest.com |
Grapplers Quest is an organization mainly concerned with the promotion of Submission wrestling, Grappling, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournaments. Founded in 1997 by Brian Cimins, Grapplers Quest currently hosts competitions of various division, age, and weight class internationally.[1][2]
Grapplers Quest has been host to many high-level competitors in mixed martial arts, such as Matt Hughes, Kenny Florian, Diego Sanchez, Joe Stevenson, and many others.[3][4]
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Grapplers Quest, as part of The Grapplers Company, Inc. was originally founded by Brian Cimins for his Senior Marketing and Public Relations Thesis at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in 1996. The first Grapplers Quest was held on April 24, 1999 at Montclair High School in Montclair, New Jersey, with just 298 competitors and 900 spectators in attendance.[5]
Since this time the size of events have grown considerably, many of which are now forced to limit the number of competitors who can register to 1500. The organization itself has also branched out to form partnerships with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the non-profit AutismRadio.org, among others.[6][7][2]
The following are a sample of the divisions used by Grapplers Quest divided into their respective weight brackets.[8]
| YOUTH 6 years and under (No-Gi and BJJ) |
YOUTH 7-9 yrs. old (No-Gi and BJJ) |
YOUTH 10-12 yrs. old (No-Gi and BJJ) |
TEENS 13-15 yrs. old (No-Gi and BJJ) |
TEENS 16-17 yrs. old (No-Gi and BJJ) |
|
| Lightweight | 49.9 lbs. & under | 59.9 lbs. & under | 79.9 lbs. & under | 99.9 lbs. & under | 119.9 lbs. & under |
| Middleweight | 50-59.9 lbs. | 60-69.9 lbs. | 80-89.9 lbs. | 100-114.9 lbs. | 120-134.9 lbs. |
| Cruiserweight | 60-69.9 lbs. | 70-79.9 lbs. | 90-99.9 lbs. | 115-129.9 lbs. | 135-149.9 lbs. |
| Heavyweight | 70 lbs. & over | 80 lbs. & over | 100 lbs. & over | 130 lbs. & over | 150-169.9 lbs. |
| Superweight | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 170 lbs. & over |
| NO-GI BEGINNER (12 months training or Less) |
NO-GI ADVANCED (12 months training or more) |
BJJ WHITE BELT | BLUE BELT | PURPLE/BROWN/ BLACK BELT |
|
| Class A | 119.9 lbs. & under | 119.9 lbs. & under | 119.9 lbs. & under | 119.9 lbs. & under | N/A |
| Class B | 120-139.9 lbs. | 120-139.9 lbs. | 120-139.9 lbs. | 120-139.9 lbs. | N/A |
| Class C | 140-159.9 lbs. | 140-159.9 lbs. | 140-159.9 lbs. | 140-159.9 lbs. | N/A |
| Class D | 160 lbs. + | 160 lbs. + | 160 lbs. + | 160 lbs. + | N/A |
| Absolute | Open Weight | Open Weight | N/A | N/A | Open Weight |
| Weight class | NOVICE Less than 9 Months Training No Wrestlers |
BEGINNER 9-18 Months Training |
INTERMEDIATE 18-36 Months Training |
ADVANCED 36+ Months Training |
| Bantam | 129.9 lbs. & below | 129.9 lbs. & below | 129.9 lbs. & below | 129.9 lbs. & below |
| Flyweight | 130-139 lbs. | 130-139 lbs. | 130-139 lbs. | 130-139 lbs. |
| Feather | 140-149 lbs. | 140-149 lbs. | 140-149 lbs. | 140-149 lbs. |
| Light | 150-159 lbs. | 150-159 lbs. | 150-159 lbs. | 150-159 lbs. |
| Welter | 160-169 lbs. | 160-169 lbs. | 160-169 lbs. | 160-169 lbs. |
| Middle | 170-179 lbs. | 170-179 lbs. | 170-179 lbs. | 170-179 lbs. |
| Cruiser | 180-189 lbs. | 180-189 lbs. | 180-189 lbs. | 180-189 lbs. |
| Light-Heavy | 190-199 lbs. | 190-199 lbs. | 190-199 lbs. | 190-199 lbs. |
| Heavy | 200-209 lbs. | 200-209 lbs. | 200-209 lbs. | 200-209 lbs. |
| Super | 210 lbs. + | 210 lbs. + | 210 lbs. + | 210 lbs. + |
| Absolute | Open Weight | Open Weight | Open Weight | Open Weight |
Grapplers Quest uses a scoring system similar to that used by the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship. Unlike the ADCC however, there is a use of advantage points to determine the winner of a match rather then force a judges' decision. Also unlike the ADCC, Grapplers Quest restricts the use of certain leg lock techniques to particular divisions.[9][10]
The following is a list of the standard match times for each no-gi division.
| Round time | Divisions |
|---|---|
| 4 Minutes | Children/Teens, Women's Beginner, Men’s Novice & Men’s Beginner |
| 5 Minutes | Men’s Intermediate, Women's Intermediate & Men’s Executive & Masters |
| 6 Minutes | Men’s/Women’s Advanced |
Grapplers Quest uses a simplified version of the IBJJF scoring system for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu matches, though one which still retains the use of subjective advantage points. Similarly to the no-gi divisions, there is a restriction of certain leg lock techniques to differing divisions.[9][11]
The following is a list of the standard match times for each Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu division.
| Round time | Divisions |
|---|---|
| 4 Minutes | Children & teens |
| 5 Minutes | White belts |
| 6 Minutes | Blue belts |
| 7 Minutes | Purple belts |
| 8 Minutes | Brown belt |
| 10 Minutes | Black belts |
Grapplers Quest awards numerous prizes and championship belts to competitors who win their respective division. The following prizes were instituted in 2009.[12]
| Division | Award |
|---|---|
| Men's No-Gi Advanced Absolute | $1,000 USD, $250 in Grapplers Quest gear, $1,000 competitor fee sponsorship, and a championship belt |
| Men's No-Gi Intermediate Absolute | $250 USD, $100 in Grapplers Quest Gear, $1,000 Competitor Fee Sponsorship, and a championship belt |
| Men's No-Gi Beginner Absolute | $150 USD, $75 in Grapplers Quest gear, $1,000 Competitor Fee Sponsorship, and a championship belt |
| Men's No-Gi Novice Absolute | $150 USD, $50 in Grapplers Quest gear, $1,000 competitor fee sponsorship, and a championship belt |
| Women's No-Gi Absolute | $250 USD, $100 in Grapplers Quest Gear, $1,000 Competitor Fee Sponsorship, and a championship belt |
| Executive's No-Gi Absolute | $150 USD, $50 in Grapplers Quest gear, $1,000 Competitor Fee Sponsorship, and a championship belt |
| Master's No-Gi Absolute | $150 USD, $50 in Grapplers Quest gear, $1,000 competitor fee sponsorship, and a championship belt |
| Women's No-Gi Absolute | $250 USD, $100 in Grapplers Quest Gear, $1,000 Competitor Fee Sponsorship, and a championship belt |
In addition to the above, custom championship belts are awarded to all men's & women's advanced no-gi divisions, all executive divisions, all masters divisions, all absolute divisions, and all brown & black belt men's BJJ divisions.
The following are the team results from 2010 World Series of Grappling, presented by Grapplers Quest and Revgear.[13]
| Division | 1st (Gold) | 2nd (Silver) | 3rd (Bronze) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Name | Points | Team Name | Points | Team Name | Points | |
| Overall Combined Team | Team Lloyd Irvin | 367 | Team Jungle Gym | 148 | Renzo Gracie Combat Team | 87 |
| Men's Overall Team | Team Lloyd Irvin | 151 | Renzo Gracie Combat Team | 85 | Team Jungle Gym | 64 |
| Woman's Overall Team | Team Brasa Fifty, ECUBJJ, Team Lloyd Irvin |
24 | Dave Trader BJJ | 19 | Team All Rules | 16 |
| Teen's Overall Team | Team Lloyd Irvin | 103 | Alliance Jiu Jitsu | 48 | Team Jungle Gym | 20 |
| Children's Overall Team | Team Lloyd Irvin | 89 | Team Jungle Gym | 66 | Team Pellegrino | 50 |
|
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