2026 ADCC World Championship

The 2026 ADCC World Championship produced champions across all nine contested divisions, with several finals extending deep into overtime.

Kennedy Maciel claimed the Men's -66 kg title, defeating Gavin Corbe by referee decision after 28 minutes and 41 seconds of scoreless overtime. The Men's -77 kg final proved even more grueling: Magomed Dzharbaev outlasted Paul Barch across a full 40 minutes of overtime — also scoreless — before earning a referee decision in one of the weekend's most discussed finishes. Paweł Jaworski took Men's -88 kg gold by score over Marlon Tajik after 20 minutes of overtime.

The Men's -99 kg division produced the event's defining upset: L. Griffith submitted Kaynan Duarte at 14:47 in a dramatic comeback finish detailed below. Victor Hugo claimed Men's +99 kg gold, submitting Josh Saunders at 8:49.

On the women's side, Jasmine Rocha defeated Ana Rodrigues by submission at 25:09 of overtime to win Women's -55 kg. Ana Carolina Vieira captured Women's -65 kg with a submission over S. Galvao at 32:29 of overtime — one of the tournament's longest matches. Helena Crevar wasted no time in the Women's +65 kg final, finishing Ana Lopez in just one minute of elapsed time.

In the Men's Absolute, Felipe Pena submitted R. Sousa at 10:03. The superfight saw Yuri Simoes submit Kaynan Duarte at 22:26.

The Men's -99 kg final between Kaynan Duarte, L. Griffith of South Africa stood as the defining match of the 2026 ADCC World Championship. Duarte — widely regarded as the division's top competitor — controlled long stretches of the match, but Griffith mounted a dramatic late comeback, securing back control and finishing the submission at 14:47 to complete one of ADCC's most memorable upsets.

Gordon Ryan's pre-event prediction, published September 11, 2026, had flagged Griffith as a legitimate threat to Duarte based on a prior meeting between the two at a UFC BJJ event. That forecast proved accurate. Griffith's path to the final included a closely contested semifinal victory over A. Rocha by referee decision after the full 10-minute period.

Duarte's evening compounded in the superfight, where Yuri Simoes submitted him at 22:26 — leaving Duarte without a gold medal across both appearances on the day. Griffith's victory was broadly regarded as the most memorable result of the championship's narrative arc.

Felipe Pena delivered what FloGrappling GM Ben Kovacs described as a demonstration of exceptional toughness, navigating the entire Men's Absolute bracket while competing on a broken foot.

Pena opened the Absolute Round of 16 against F. Pana, winning by submission at 14:11, before defeating Eoghan O'Flanagan 3–0 in the quarterfinals. The semifinal was never in doubt: Pena submitted R. Abdulaev at 13:15 by a score of 7–0. In the final, he submitted R. Sousa at 10:03 to claim gold. The full podium read: Felipe Pena (1st), R. Sousa (2nd), R. Abdulaev (3rd), and Marlon Tajik (4th).

Pena had earlier fallen in the Men's +99 kg semifinal to Josh Saunders by referee decision. Notably, the Men's Absolute bracket included no division weight-class winners — an occurrence Kovacs described as potentially unprecedented in ADCC history.

Magomed Dzharbaev's gold medal in Men's -77 kg resonated far beyond the scoreline. FloGrappling GM Ben Kovacs identified it as the first Russian ADCC gold since the early 2000s, making it one of the most historically significant results of the championship.

Dzharbaev advanced through the bracket by defeating Mateusz Szczecinski 2–0 in the semifinal. On the opposite side, Paul Barch dispatched Jacob Bornemann 9–0. The final stretched to 40 full minutes of overtime without a point scored on either side, with Dzharbaev ultimately earning the referee decision. Barch earned praise from Kovacs for his composure throughout — including sustaining a headbutt during the event and still winning his semifinal.

The result carried added context from pre-tournament commentary. Dante Leon, eliminated by Bornemann in the -77 kg quarterfinals, had noted that Poland's European hosting made the field more equitable for Russian competitors who had previously been unable to secure entry into US-hosted editions. Dzharbaev's victory underscored Kovacs's post-event observation that Europe, Russia, and surrounding regions had emerged as major forces in international submission wrestling.

The most turbulent incident of the 2026 ADCC World Championship unfolded during a Men's -66 kg Round of 16 match on Day 1, September 12, 2026, between Dorian Olivarez and Bekzat Kapashov.

During a smother attempt, Kapashov allegedly bit Olivarez's finger, drawing striking responses from Olivarez. Rather than issuing an immediate double disqualification, referees restarted the match. Olivarez won by reverse triangle, but the situation deteriorated after the final buzzer: a post-match scuffle broke out involving members of Kapashov's team and Gordon Ryan, who had been cornering Dominic Mejia and was affiliated with Olivarez's corner. An eyewitness account circulated that Ryan was jumped following the match. Olivarez's father reportedly became physical with a referee during and after the incident.

ADCC subsequently disqualified both Olivarez and Kapashov. Olivarez received a one-year ADCC ban; his father received a two-year ban. Owen Jones — eliminated earlier in the Round of 16 by Anraku — moved into the vacated quarterfinal slot in place of Olivarez, where he lost to Dominic Mejia by a score of 3–0.

ADCC 2024 promoter Mo Jassim commented publicly on September 13, 2026, drawing a distinction between the bite-and-slap exchange — which he argued should have been treated as a single incident warranting in-match penalties — and the post-match confrontation, from which the more severe disciplinary consequences stemmed. FloGrappling GM Ben Kovacs expressed disappointment at Olivarez's disqualification, noting he had been a strong contender and a potential factor in the Men's Absolute.

A separate biting controversy emerged in the Men's +99 kg Round of 16 on Day 1, September 12, 2026, involving Daniel Manasoiu — known as "Big Dan" and representing Kingz Jiu-Jitsu out of Austin, Texas — against Pedro Lucas of Compañía Jiu-Jitsu, the reigning South American ADCC Trials champion.

Manasoiu brought considerable credentials into the bracket: the 2023 ADCC East Coast Trials champion, 2022 European Trials champion, and 2024 ADCC Worlds bronze medalist. During a scramble, a bite controversy occurred; broadcast commentary suggested Lucas may have covered Manasoiu's mouth before officials intervened. Manasoiu later addressed the incident on his Instagram story. Despite the disruption, Manasoiu transitioned from near-side underhook half-guard to mount and secured the submission, advancing in the bracket. His corner included John Danaher, with Gordon Ryan associated with his preparation.

Manasoiu's run ended in the quarterfinals, where Mark Macqueen submitted him at exactly 10:00, eliminating him from the 2026 ADCC World Championship.

The Day 2 semifinal round clarified the paths to each final across all divisions.

Men's Divisions

In Men's -66 kg, Kennedy Maciel defeated Diego Oliveira by referee decision, while Gavin Corbe submitted Dominic Mejia at 6:58. Men's -77 kg saw Magomed Dzharbaev take a 2–0 points victory over Mateusz Szczecinski, and Paul Barch dominate Jacob Bornemann 9–0. In Men's -88 kg, Paweł Jaworski submitted Gabriel Brod at 5:34, and Marlon Tajik advanced by a score of 2–0.

The Men's -99 kg bracket saw Kaynan Duarte submit Daniel Schuardt at 8:52, setting up his final against L. Griffith, who edged A. Rocha by referee decision. Men's +99 kg produced two dominant performances: Josh Saunders eliminated Felipe Pena by referee decision, and Victor Hugo submitted Mark Macqueen at 2:29.

Women's Divisions

Helena Crevar submitted Elizabeth Mitrovic at 5:19 in the Women's +65 kg semifinal, while Anabel Lopez defeated Paige Ivette Clymer 3–0 to advance from the opposite side. Ana Carolina Vieira won the Women's -65 kg semifinal over Morgan Black 5–2, and S. Galvao defeated Joslyn Molina 3–0. In Women's -55 kg, Jasmine Rocha submitted Ana Mayordomo Garcia at 5:55, and Ana Rodrigues defeated Mayssa Bastos 2–0.

Men's Absolute

Felipe Pena submitted R. Abdulaev at 13:15 by a score of 7–0 in the semifinal, while R. Sousa submitted Tajik at 4:57 to reach the final. The third-place match was claimed by R. Abdulaev over Marlon Tajik 6–0.

The 2026 ADCC World Championship was shaped as much by who did not compete as by who did. A convergence of retirement, injury, exclusive contractual arrangements, and personal circumstances produced an unusual wave of absences among recognized title holders and top-ranked competitors.

Gordon Ryan did not compete, having retired from active competition. Kade Ruotolo, Tye Ruotolo redirected their focus to MMA and ONE Championship. Giancarlo Bodoni was sidelined by two surgeries in early 2026 — first a knee procedure, then an elbow — that prevented a return to competitive form in time. Diogo Reis departed BJJ College following the arrest of coach Melqui Galvao, stating publicly that the circumstances made continued association untenable. Mica Galvao was absent in the wake of his father Melqui Galvao's arrest in Manaus on April 28, 2026, on allegations from three female students, including a minor.

Ffion Davies, Adele Fornarino — formally removed from the official roster on July 11, 2026 — Nick Rodriguez, and Jay Rodriguez all held UFC BJJ-exclusive deals that precluded participation. Beatriz Mesquita did not compete. Nicholas Meregali expressed a lack of motivation.

Izaak Michell of Australia had won the ADCC Asia & Oceania Trials 2025 on December 7, 2025, but had his invitation formally withdrawn by ADCC on July 21, 2026, following multiple allegations and reported arrest warrants, including one from the Hays County Sheriff's Office in Texas for second-degree sexual assault. Taylor Pearman of Great Britain replaced him in Men's -77 kg. In Men's -66 kg, Kauã Gabriel of Brazil missed weight and was replaced by Kamil Wilk of Poland — a change confirmed when brackets were finalized on September 11, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. ET.

Gabi Garcia was officially withdrawn from the event as of September 1, 2026, per the official ADCC site. Rafaela Guedes, the reigning Women's +65 kg champion, did not appear in the final competition bracket; no explanation was available in reporting at the time.

The 2026 ADCC World Championship was contested under standard ADCC submission wrestling rules: points are awarded only during the final two minutes of regulation, overtime begins if scores are tied at the end of regulation, and a referee decision serves as the final arbiter when overtime produces no scoring. The no-gi format ran across two full competition days, September 12–13, 2026.

TAURON Arena in Kraków, Poland holds 14,951 seats. As of September 8, 2026, approximately 7,741 tickets had been sold — roughly 51.8% of capacity — with a late surge between September 3 and September 8 producing roughly double the prior daily sales rate, without any observed discounting across the sales cycle.

The event marked ADCC's first European edition since the 2017 championship in Finland, ending a run of three consecutive US-hosted editions: 2019 in Anaheim and 2022 and 2024 in Las Vegas. The Poland location drew pre-event discussion; Dante Leon noted that hosting in Europe made the field more accessible and equitable for Russian competitors who had been unable to enter US-hosted editions. The Men's Absolute bracket was structured without division weight-class winners — an arrangement FloGrappling GM Ben Kovacs described as potentially a first in ADCC history.

In the immediate aftermath of her Women's -55 kg victory, Jasmine Rocha directed a public statement toward UFC BJJ — "UFC BJJ, hit me up" — calling for what she characterized as better professional treatment of athletes. FloGrappling GM Ben Kovacs, in a post-event interview published September 15, 2026, acknowledged FloGrappling and ADCC's long-standing support for the Rocha family while suggesting the championship podium may not have been the ideal forum for those concerns.

Rumors of Gordon Ryan serving as a potential last-minute superfight replacement were confirmed as substantive by Kovacs in the same interview. Had either Kaynan Duarte, Yuri Simoes been unable to compete, Ryan was prepared to step in — warming up backstage with a post-match speech ready. ADCC ultimately opted not to pressure the scheduled athletes, and the superfight proceeded as planned, with Simoes submitting Duarte at 22:26.

Kovacs and John Danaher each reinforced publicly that wins at bracket tournaments — ADCC, IBJJF, and CJI specifically — carry lasting legacy value in a way other competitive formats do not replicate. On the promotional side, Mo Jassim was reported to be considering organizing another ADCC event, with Las Vegas and Brazil identified as candidate locations. Kovacs highlighted the championship's demonstration of Europe, Russia, and surrounding regions as increasingly central forces in international submission wrestling, and acknowledged that improved international marketing remained a priority for future editions.