Grappling competitions
ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship Logo
Discipline Submission Grappling Type Biennial Organiser Mo Jassim Current weight divisions
Men[ 1]
Absolute Class
+99 kg (+220.5 lbs)
-98.9 kg (-218.0 lbs)
-87.9 kg (-193.7 lbs)
-76.9 kg (-169.5 lbs)
-65.9 kg (-145.2 lbs)
Women[ 1]
+60.0 kg (+132.2 lbs)
-60.0 kg (-132.2 lbs)
The ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship is an international submission grappling competition, organised by the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC).[ 2] The inaugural tournament was held in Abu Dhabi , UAE in 1998. It has been held every two years since 2001, except in 2021 due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic . Host countries have included Brazil, China, Finland, Spain, the UK, and the US.
Competitors can only participate after winning ADCC trials or by invitation.[ 3] While most athletes are primarily from Brazilian jiu-jitsu , it is open to competitors from any grappling style. ADCC is considered the most prestigious submission grappling tournament in the world, and is commonly referred to as "the Olympics of grappling".[ 4] [ 5]
The 2022 edition took place in front of 13,000 fans in attendance at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas . In 2024 it will be held 17-18 August at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.[ 6]
The competition was created by Sheik Tahnoun Bin Zayed Al Nahyan , the son of the former United Arab Emirates president Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan , together with his Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor Nelson Monteiro.[ 7] [ 8] Royler Gracie characterised this as the beginning of "the modern era of submission grappling".[ 9] Thousands of submission grappling tournaments around the world use elements of the ADCC format and rule structure. To date, the great majority of ADCC champions have been black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which has the most similar rules to ADCC.[ 10] However, there have been notable exceptions to this such as Americans Mark Kerr (collegiate and freestyle wrestling ) and Jeff Monson (collegiate and freestyle wrestling), Russian Karimula Barkalaev (judo and MMA), Japanese Sanae Kikuta (judo / shoot wrestling ), and South African Mark Robinson (judo, freestyle, Greco-Roman , and sumo wrestling), along with silver and bronze medalists such as Caol Uno (shoot wrestling), Mach Sakurai (shoot wrestling / judo), Aleksandr Savko (freestyle wrestling), Tito Ortiz (collegiate wrestling and MMA), Megumi Fujii (judo / sambo ), Seiko Yamamoto (freestyle wrestling) and Nick Rodriguez (collegiate wrestling).
Mo Jassim took over as head organizer ready for ADCC 2019 and has since made sweeping changes to the organization. He announced that he had plans for adding more women's divisions and allowing reigning absolute champions to compete in weight-classes despite being booked for the main event superfight.[ 11] It was announced in 2020 that for the first time in the competition's history, there would be more than two years between editions due to the setbacks suffered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic . The 2021 edition of the ADCC World Championships would then take place in 2022 instead, and would still be helmed by Jassim.[ 12] After the success of the 2022 ADCC World Championship , it was announced that Jassim would return for the 2024 ADCC World Championship be the first person to operate as head organizer for three editions.[ 13]
In January 2023, ADCC announced an exclusive multi-year streaming deal with UFC Fight Pass and left their previous broadcaster FloSports .[ 14] Just three months later on April 27, 2023, ADCC announced that they would be returning to FloSports for the foreseeable future.[ 15]
On June 25, 2023, it was announced that the following edition of the ADCC World Championship would include three women's weight classes, marking the first time since 2007 that there was more than two available.[ 16] It was also later announced that this the 2024 ADCC World Championship would also be the first edition to include a women's absolute division since 2007.[ 17]
On July 17, 2023, head organizer Mo Jassim announced that there would be a children's version of the ADCC World Championship held for the first time during the 2024 edition of the tournament.[ 18]
ADCC world championships [ edit ]
List of ADCC Champions in Men's Submission Fighting by Year and Weight[ edit ]
List of ADCC Champions in Women's Submission Fighting by Year and Weight[ edit ]
List of ADCC Superfight Champions [ edit ]
List of winners by total titles [ edit ]
Rank
Wrestler
Total
Absolute
Weight Class
Super Fight
Winning years
1
Gordon Ryan
7
1
3
3
2017, 2019 , 2022, 2024
2
André Galvão
6
1
1
4
2011 , 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019
3
Marcelo Garcia
4
0
4
0
2003, 2005, 2007, 2011
Kaynan Duarte
4
1
3
0
2019, 2022, 2024
Mário Sperry
4
1
1
2
1998 , 1999, 2000
Gabi Garcia
4
0
4
0
2011, 2013, 2017, 2019
Mark Kerr
4
1
2
1
1999, 2000 , 2001
Ricardo Arona
4
1
2
1
2000, 2001 , 2003
9
Hannette Staack
3
1
2
0
2007, 2009
Royler Gracie
3
0
3
0
1999, 2000, 2001
Kyra Gracie
3
0
3
0
2005, 2007, 2011
Rubens Charles
3
0
3
0
2013, 2015, 2017
Roger Gracie
3
1
1
1
2005 , 2007
Braulio Estima
3
1
1
1
2009 , 2011
Dean Lister
3
1
1
1
2003 , 2005, 2011
Yuri Simões
3
1
2
0
2015, 2017, 2022
17
Renzo Gracie
2
0
2
0
1998, 2000
Juliana Borges
2
1
1
0
2005
Saulo Ribeiro
2
0
2
0
2000, 2003
Leo Vieira
2
0
2
0
2003, 2005
Jeff Monson
2
0
2
0
1999, 2005
Alexandre Ribeiro
2
0
2
0
2007, 2009
Fabrício Werdum
2
0
2
0
2007, 2009
Rafael Mendes
2
0
2
0
2009, 2011
Marcus Almeida
2
0
2
0
2013, 2017
Diogo Reis
2
0
2
0
2022, 2024
Jonathan Torres
2
0
2
0
2017, 2019
Giancarlo Bodoni
2
0
2
0
2022, 2024
Felipe Pena
2
1
1
0
2017 , 2024
Ronaldo Souza
2
0
1
1
2005, 2009
Adele Fornarino
2
1
1
0
2024
32
Roberto Traven
1
1
0
0
1998
Robert Drysdale
1
1
0
0
2007
Roberto Abreu
1
1
0
0
2013
Claudio Calasans
1
1
0
0
2015
Alexander Freitas
1
0
1
0
1998
Rodrigo Gracie
1
0
1
0
1998
Ricco Rodriguez
1
0
1
0
1998
Jean Jacques Machado
1
0
1
0
1999
Karimula Barkalaev
1
0
1
0
1999
Marcio Feitosa
1
0
1
0
2001
Sanae Kikuta
1
0
1
0
2001
Mark Robinson
1
0
1
0
2001
Jon Olav Einemo
1
0
1
0
2003
Márcio Cruz
1
0
1
0
2003
Sayaka Shioda
1
0
1
0
2007
Penny Thomas
1
0
1
0
2007
Rani Yahya
1
0
1
0
2007
Demian Maia
1
0
1
0
2007
Luanna Alzuguir
1
0
1
0
2009
Pablo Popovitch
1
0
1
0
2009
Vinny Magalhães
1
0
1
0
2011
Michelle Nicolini
1
0
1
0
2013
Kron Gracie
1
0
1
0
2013
Romulo Barral
1
0
1
0
2013
João Assis
1
0
1
0
2013
Mackenzie Dern
1
0
1
0
2015
Ana Laura Cordeiro
1
0
1
0
2015
Davi Ramos
1
0
1
0
2015
Rodolfo Vieira
1
0
1
0
2015
Orlando Sanchez
1
0
1
0
2015
Beatriz Mesquita
1
0
1
0
2017
Bianca Basílio
1
0
1
0
2019
Augusto Mendes
1
0
1
0
2019
Matheus Diniz
1
0
1
0
2019
Kade Ruotolo
1
0
1
0
2022
Ffion Davies
1
0
1
0
2022
Amy Campo
1
0
1
0
2022
Micael Galvão
1
0
1
0
2024
Ana Carolina Vieira
1
0
1
0
2024
Rafaela Guedes
1
0
1
0
2024
Grand Slam Winners (trials, weight, absolute and superfight)[ edit ]
Triple Crown Winners (weight, absolute and superfight)[ edit ]
First round
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Finals
Marcus Almeida
SUB
Keith Krikorian
Marcus Almeida
3-0
Aaron Johnson
Aaron Johnson
SUB
Jon Blank
Marcus Almeida
SUB
Mahamed Aly
Mahamed Aly
SUB
John Hansen
Mahamed Aly
REF
Tim Spriggs
Tim Spriggs
SUB
Jared Dop
Gordon Ryan
SCORE
Marcus Almeida
Gordon Ryan
SUB
Pedro Marinho
Gordon Ryan
SUB
Garry Tonon
Garry Tonon
SUB
Edwin Najmi
Gordon Ryan
SUB
Lachlan Giles
Lachlan Giles
SUB
Kaynan Duarte
Lachlan Giles
SUB
Patrick Gaudio
Patrick Gaudio
2-0
Mike Perez
3rd Place
Lachlan Giles
SUB
Mahamed Aly
First round
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Finals
Victor Honório
Arman Zhanpeisov
Victor Honório
Felipe Pena
Felipe Pena
Celso Vinicius
Felipe Pena
S (rnc)
Marcus Almeida
Alexandre Ribeiro
S (armbar)
Tero Pyylampi
Alexandre Ribeiro
Marcus Almeida
Marcus Almeida
Mark Perez
Felipe Pena
Gordon Ryan
Dillon Danis
S (guillotine)
Yukiyasu Ozawa
Dillon Danis
Mahamed Aly
Mahamed Aly
Eliot Kelly
Mahamed Aly
Gordon Ryan
S (heel hook)
Gordon Ryan
S (heel hook)
Roberto Abreu
Gordon Ryan
S (arm-triangle)
Craig Jones
Craig Jones
S (heel hook)
Chael Sonnen
3rd Place
Marcus Almeida
S (heel hook)
Mahamed Aly
3rd Place
Rodolfo Vieira
WO
Yuri Simoes
First round
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Finals
Joao Assis
Victor Estima
Victor Estima
Pablo Popovitch
Pablo Popovitch
Janne-Pekka Pietiläinen
Pablo Popovitch
Xande Ribeiro
Bruno Frazzato
Gunnar Nelson
Gunnar Nelson
Xande Ribeiro
Jeff Monson
Xande Ribeiro
DQ
Pablo Popovitch
André Galvão
S (Toe Hold)
Vinny Magalhães
Bruno Bastos
Vinny Magalhães
Murilo Santana
Murilo Santana
Marko Helen
Murilo Santana
André Galvão
Sergio Moraes
S (Heel Hook)
Antonio Braga Neto
Sergio Moraes
André Galvão
Shinsho Anzai
André Galvão
TS (RNC)
3rd Place
Xande Ribeiro
Murilo Santana
Estima defeated Souza via points (3-0).
Sperry defeated Gracie via points (5-0).
First round
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Finals
Marcelo Garcia
S (RNC)
Bruno Bastos
Marcelo Garcia
Braulio Estima
S (RNC)
Braulio Estima
S (Armbar)
Janne-Pekka Pietiläinen
Braulio Estima
Vinny Magalhaes
Dean Lister
Vinny Magalhaes
Vinny Magalhaes
S (Flying Armbar)
Chris Weidman
Chris Weidman
Antonie Jaoude
Braulio Estima
TS (Injury)
Xande Ribeiro
Xande Ribeiro
S (Armlock)
Ricco Rodriguez
Xande Ribeiro
Andre Galvao
Tom De Blass
Andre Galvao
Xande Ribeiro
S (Kneebar)
Gunnar Nelson
Jeff Monson
Gunnar Nelson
Gunnar Nelson
S (RNC)
David Avellan
Roberto Abreu
David Avallen
Souza defeated Drysdale via points (2-0).
^ Matt Serra lost to Feitosa in what appeared to be a very controversial decision.[ 40] [ 41] When two practitioners from the same school meet each other in a tournament, the lower ranking student in that school's hierarchy will generally forfeit the match out of respect.
ADCC Asian and Oceanic Championship [ edit ]
Year
Host
Men's 66 kg
Men's 77 kg
Men's 88 kg
Men's 99 kg
Men's +99 kg
Women's -60 kg
Women's +60 kg
2008
Sydney
David Marinakis (1/2)
Rodney Ellis (1/1)
Igor Praporshchikov (1/2)
Anthony Perosh (1/1)
Denis Roberts (1/2)
2009
Tokyo
Kouhei Yasumi (1/1)
Keita Nakamura (1/1)
Kazuhiro Nakamura (1/1)
Shinsho Anzai (1/2)
Ukiya Naito (1/1)
Megumi Fujii (1/1)
Hitomi Hiraiwa (1/1)
2010
Sydney
David Marinakis (2/2)
David Hart (1/1)
Cameron Rowe (1/1)
Igor Praporshchikov (2/2)
Mick Wilson (1/1)
Lara Jayne Ng (1/1)
Fiona Muxlow (1/1)
2011
Tokyo
Tetsu Hadairo (1/1)
Takanori Gomi (1/1)
Jeon Doo Kwang (1/1)
Shinsho Anzai (1/2)
Hideki Sekine (1/4)
Hashi Takayo (1/1)
2012
Manila
Robert Sabaruddin (1/1)
Young-am Noh (1/2)
Doorwang Jeon (1/1)
Alan Drueco (1/1)
Michael Wilson (1/1)
2013
Tokyo
Ulka Sasaki (1/1)
Sotaro Yamada (1/1)
Shinsho Anzai (2/2)
Yukiyasu Ozawa (1/3)
Hideki Sekine (2/4)
Seiko Yamamoto (1/1)
Yurika Nakakura (1/1)
2014
Seoul
Tezekbaev Rasul (1/1)
Lachlan Giles (1/3)
Craig Jones (1/2)
Tobias Green (1/1)
Lee Hyoung-Chul (1/1)
2015
Tokyo
Yuto Hirao (1/1)
Young-am Noh (2/2)
Hidemi Mihara (1/1) (1/1)
Yukiyasu Ozawa (2/3)
Hideki Sekine (3/4)
Rikako Yuasa (1/3)
2016
Almaty
Uranov Zhakshylyk (1/1)
Lachlan Giles (2/3)
Craig Jones (2/2)
Roman Dolidze (1/1)
Sulimanov Mokhmad (1/1)
2017
Tokyo
Yuta Shimada (1/1)
Osmanzhan Kassimov (1/1)
Kit Dale (1/1)
Yukiyasu Ozawa (3/3)
Hideki Sekine (4/4)
Rikako Yuasa (2/3)
2019
Tokyo
Kenta Iwamoto (1/2)
Lachlan Giles (3/3)
Keller Locke-Sodhi (1/1)
Jacob Malkoun (1/1)
Denis Roberts (2/2)
Rikako Yuasa (3/3)
2022
Stanhope
Jeremy Skinner (1/1)
Kenta Iwamoto (2/2)
Roberto Dib Frias (1/1)
Izaak Michell (1/1)
Josh Saunders (1/1)
Adele Fornarino (1/1)
Nikki Lloyd-Griffiths (1/1)
ADCC European Championship [ edit ]
Year
Host
Men's 66 kg
Men's 77 kg
Men's 88 kg
Men's 99 kg
Men's +99 kg
Women's -60 kg
Women's +60 kg
Women's -55 kg
Women's -65 kg
Women's +65 kg
2003
Turku
Teemu Launis (1/2)
Jussi Tammelin (1/1)
Robert Sulski (1/1)
Ilir Latifi (1/1)
Mark Ilman (1/1)
2005
Stockholm
Toni Kröger (1/1)
Martin Lindqvist (1/1)
Marko Helen (1/3)
Alistair Overeem (1/1)
Mostapha al-Turk (1/1)
2007
Turku
Teemu Launis (2/2)
Eduardo Rios (1/2)
Marko Helen (2/3)
Radek Turek (1/2)
Janne-Pekka Pietiläinen (1/6)
Caoimhe McGill (1/1)
Marloes Coenen (1/1)
2008
Kraków
Timo Hirvikangas (1/3)
Toni Linden (1/1)
Trond Saksenvik (1/1)
Andreas Olsen (1/1)
Janne-Pekka Pietiläinen (2/6)
Ina Steffensen (1/1)
Shanti Abelha (1/1)
2009
Stockholm
Nicolas Renier (1/3)
Marcelo Azevedo (1/1)
Kassim Annan (1/1)
Radek Turek (2/2)
Tomasz Janiszewski (1/1)
Laurence Cousin (1/1)
Ida Hannson (1/1)
2010
Zagreb
Greger Forsell (1/1)
Jorge Britto (1/1)
Marko Helen (3/3)
Kari Peltola (1/1)
Janne-Pekka Pietiläinen (3/6)
2011
Turku
Timo Hirvikangas (2/3)
Dan Strauss (1/1)
Zybi Tyszka (1/2)
Kamil Uminski (1/4)
Janne-Pekka Pietiläinen (4/6)
Sara Svensson (1/1)
Devi Ahuja (1/1)
2012
Ljubljana
Timo Hirvikangas (3/3)
Tero Pyylampi (1/2)
Eduardo Rios (2/2)
Tomasz Narkun (1/2)
Alexander Trans (1/2)
Maria Malyjasiak (1/2)
2013
Kraków
Nicolas Renier (2/3)
Kamil Mitosek (1/1)
Łukasz Michalec (1/1)
Kamil Uminski (2/4)
Janne-Pekka Pietiläinen (5/6)
Laura Hondorp (1/1)
Maria Malyjasiak (2/2)
2014
Sofia
Asadulaev Surkhay (1/1)
Mateusz Gamrot (1/2)
Zybi Tyszka (2/2)
Tomasz Narkun (2/2)
Alexander Trans (2/2)
Vanessa English (1/1)
Sophia Nordenö (1/2)
2015
Turku
Nicolas Renier (3/3)
Magomed Abdulkadirov (1/1)
Jesse Urholin (1/2)
Kamil Uminski (3/4)
Janne-Pekka Pietiläinen (6/6)
Kethe Engen (1/1)
Sophia Nordenö (2/2)
2016
Mainz
Janusz Andrejczuk (1/1)
Tero Pyylampi (2/2)
Jesse Urholin (2/2)
Kamil Uminski (4/4)
Khamzat Stambulov (1/1)
Elvira Karppinen (1/1)
Stephanie Egger (1/2)
2017
Poznań
Kuba Witkowski (1/1)
Oliver Taza (1/2)
Piotr Fręchowicz (1/1)
Abdurakhman Bilarov (1/1)
Abdulaev Ruslan (1/1)
Ffion Davies (1/1)
Samantha Cook (1/1)
2018
Bucharest
Zaur Akhmedov (1/1)
Ross Nicholls (1/1)
Adam Wardziński (1/1)
Perttu Tepponen (1/2)
Eldar Rafigaev (1/1)
Maiju Suotama (1/1)
Yulia Vibe (1/1)
2019
Poznań
Tom Halpin (1/1)
Mateusz Gamrot (2/2)
Ben Dyson (1/1)
Mraz Avdoyan (1/1)
Mateusz Juskowiak (1/1)
Livia Giles (1/1)
Stephanie Egger (2/2)
2021
Poznań
Ash Williams (1/1)
Oliver Taza (2/2)
Eoghan O'Flanagan (1/1)
Perttu Tepponen (2/2)
Heikki Jussila (1/2)
Peyton Letcher (1/1)
Magdalena Loska (1/1)
2022
Poznań
Sam McNally (1/1)
Tommy Langaker (1/1)
Santeri Lilius (1/2)
Luke Griffith (1/2)
Daniel Manasoiu (1/1)
Julia Mæle (1/1)
Eleftheria Christodoulou (1/1)
2023
Warsaw
Owen Jones (1/1)
Jozef Chen (1/1)
Santeri Lilius (2/2)
Luke Griffith (2/2)
Heikki Jussila (2/2)
Josefine Modig (1/1)
Sani Brännfors (1/1)
Ane Svendsen (1/1)
2024
Zagreb
Gairbeg Ibragimov (1/1)
Tommy Langaker (2/2)
Taylor Pearman (1/1)
Marcin Maciulewicz (1/1)
Mark Macqueen (1/1)
Margot Ciccarelli (1/1)
Aurelie Le Vern (1/1)
Nia Blackman (1/1)
ADCC North American Championship [ edit ]
Year
Host
Men's 66 kg
Men's 77 kg
Men's 88 kg
Men's 99 kg
Men's +99 kg
Women's -60 kg
Women's +60 kg
2002
Los Angeles , CA
Eddie Bravo (1/1)
Pablo Popovitch (1/1)
Denis Kang (1/1)
Dean Lister (1/1)
Sean Alvarez (1/1)
2004
Vernon
Javier Vazquez (1/1)
Cameron Earle (1/1)
Marcos Avellan (1/1)
Jamal Patterson (1/1)
Karim Byron (1/1)
2007
Wayne , NJ
Sim Go (1/1)
Mark Bocek (1/1)
Chris Moriarty (1/1)
Misha Cirkunov (1/1)
Mario Rinaldi (1/2)
2008
Newark , NJ
Ryan Hall (1/1)
Don Ortega (1/1)
Jason Selva (1/1)
Rafael Davies (1/1)
Asa Fuller (1/1)
Hillary Williams (1/1)
Lana Stefanac (1/1)
2009
Los Angeles , CA
Jayson Patino (1/1)
Enrico Cocco (1/3)
Chris Weidman (1/1)
Gerardi Rinaldi (1/1)
Tom DeBlass (1/3)
2010
Belleville , NJ
Mark Ramos (1/2)
Vagner Rocha (1/3)
Rustam Chsiev (1/1)
Joseph Lee Baize (1/1)
Mario Rinaldi (2/2)
Cat Zingano (1/1)
Penny Thomas (1/1)
2011
San Diego , CA
Jeff Glover (1/1)
Enrico Cocco (2/3)
JJ Holmes (1/1)
James Puopolo (1/2)
Jared Rosholt (1/1)
2012
San Diego , CA
Darson Hemmings (1/1)
AJ Agazarm (1/1)
Keenan Cornelius (1/1)
Adam Sachnoff (1/1)
Jared Dopp (1/1)
Mackenzie Dern (1/1)
Brea Gibert (1/1)
2013
Columbus, Ohio
Mark Ramos (2/2)
Garry Tonon (1/1)
Josh Hayden (1/1)
James Puopolo (2/2)
Robby Donofrio (1/1)
2014
Nitro , WV
Geo Martinez (1/1)
Enrico Cocco (3/3)
Matt Arroyo (1/1)
Tom DeBlass (2/3)
Jason Lee (1/1)
2015
Coconut Creek , FL
Edward Cummings (1/1)
Vagner Rocha (2/3)
Mike Perez (1/1)
Jason Bukich (1/1)
Paul Ardila (1/3)
Tammi Musumeci (1/1)
Amanda Alequin (1/1)
2016
Bayville , NJ
Justin Rader (1/1)
Mansher Khera (1/1)
Elliot Kelly (1/1)
James Brasco (1/1)
Tom DeBlass (3/3)
2017
Anaheim , CA
Ethan Crelinsten (1/2)
Vagner Rocha (3/3)
John Salter (1/1)
Paul Ardila (2/3)
Casey Hellenberg (1/1)
Elisabeth Clay (1/1)
Tara White (1/1)
2018
Bayville , NJ
Ethan Crelinsten (2/2)
Jonathan Satava (1/1)
Alec Baulding (1/1)
Tim Spriggs (1/1)
Aaron Johnson (1/1)
2019
Burbank , CA
Nicky Ryan (1/1)
John Combs (1/1)
Josh Hinger (1/1)
Mason Fowler (1/2)
Nick Rodriguez (1/1)
Jena Bishop (1/1)
Amanda Leve (1/1)
2021
Atlantic City , NJ
Cole Abate (1/1)
Kade Ruotolo (1/1)
Giancarlo Bodoni (1/1)
Mason Fowler (2/2)
John Hansen (1/1)
Brianna Ste-Marie (1/2)
Kendall Reusing (1/1)
2022
Las Vegas , NV
Keith Krikorian (1/1)
William Tackett (1/1)
Jay Rodriguez (1/1)
Paul Ardila (3/3)
Kyle Boehm (1/1)
Brianna Ste-Marie (2/2)
Amy Campo (1/1)
ADCC South American Championship [ edit ]