40andFighting

Today’s Top BJJ News — October 24, 2026

Daily BJJ News Briefing

October 24, 2026 · Updated 8:14 AM -07:00

#1

Nicky Ryan Reiterates That IBJJF Competition Does Not Make Financial Sense for Him

In comments from an October 21 episode of the Simple Man Podcast, published by grappling outlets on October 23, Nicky Ryan explained why he has never entered an IBJJF tournament and does not currently plan to do so. Ryan criticized the traditional model of paying an entry fee to compete for little or no prize money, while acknowledging that invitationals such as The Crown and the No-Gi Absolute Grand Prix offer substantially different financial incentives. [87]

Why it matters: Ryan’s comments sharpen the sport’s continuing debate over athlete compensation and the divide between traditional tournament jiu-jitsu and professional submission grappling. His position also reflects how major no-gi athletes increasingly prioritize paid superfights, ADCC and professional promotions over open-entry IBJJF competition. [87]

Social hook: Nicky Ryan says the traditional IBJJF tournament model still does not pay elite athletes enough to justify competing.

#2

Garry Tonon and Sam McNally Set for Polaris 40 Lightweight Title Rematch

Polaris has officially announced that Sam McNally will defend the lightweight championship against Garry Tonon at Polaris 40 on November 21 in Southampton, England. The matchup revisits their ADCC 2022 meeting, when McNally defeated the heavily favored Tonon 3–0 on points. [88]

Why it matters: The bout gives Tonon a chance to avenge one of the most notable upsets of his career while putting the Polaris lightweight title on the line. It also marks Tonon’s return to a major professional grappling superfight after an extended absence from the format. [88]

Social hook: The ADCC upset gets a rematch—with Garry Tonon now challenging Sam McNally for the Polaris lightweight belt.

Editor’s Notes

Only two developments met the requested standard for meaningful, verifiable news published or materially updated within approximately the last 24 to 36 hours. Other recent search results concerned events or results from earlier in October and were not included to avoid padding the roundup. The Nicky Ryan item is based on reporting about his October 21 podcast appearance; the podcast discussion itself was not independently available in the retrieved sources, so the characterization remains reported rather than fully verified from the original recording.

Sources

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  3. https://grapplersnews.jp/en
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  5. https://40andfighting.com/todays-top-bjj-news-september-19-2026/
  6. https://jiujitsusinistro.com.br/
  7. https://jitsmagazine.com/category/bjj-news/
  8. https://www.fabricjiujitsu.com/weekend-ahead-oct-16-18-2026/
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  11. https://letsbjj.com/fr/
  12. https://nogipedia.com/news
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  14. https://150grappling.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Submission-Policy_1.0.pdf
  15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADCC_Submission_Fighting_World_Championship
  16. https://www.grappling.lt/docs/2026-10-17_EN.pdf
  17. https://www.reddit.com/r/bjj/comments/1wa22vm/can_we_get_a_little_hype_for_the_matchups_and/
  18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFC_BJJ_12
  19. https://www.ufaf.org/tournament/2026-UFAF-World-Championships-Rules.ja.v3.pdf
  20. https://www.usjjf.org/uploads/5/2/4/8/52481119/usjjf_brazilian_jj_comp_rules_25_oct_2017.pdf