Ruleset
ADCC
The most prestigious no-gi ruleset: negative points for stalling, points only in the second half, and every submission legal.
How the ruleset works
The Abu Dhabi Combat Club ruleset is built to force action. Matches split into halves: no points in the first half (submission attempts only), then takedowns, passes, and dominant positions score in the second. Guard pulling costs a negative point once scoring starts, and stalling is penalized directly.
Every submission is legal, including heel hooks and slams inside limits, which makes ADCC the proving ground for complete no-gi games. Overtime extends the match rather than switching format, and referee decisions weigh aggression heavily.
The World Championship runs every two years and is widely treated as the sport's most prestigious no-gi title.
At a glance
- Attire
- No-Gi
- Format
- No points first half, points second half
- Overtime
- Extra time, then decision
- Time limit
- 10-40 min by round/division
- Submissions
- Everything legal
What wins under ADCC rules
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Most active under ADCC rules
Alexandre Ribeiro
41 matches
Vagner Rocha
40 matches
André Galvão
34 matches
Roberto Abreu
34 matches
Oliver Taza
30 matches
Marcelo Garcia
30 matches
Felipe Pena
29 matches
Vinicius Magalhães
28 matches
Rafael Lovato Jr
27 matches
Pablo Popovitch
26 matches
Rankings across every ruleset live on the stats page and the BJJ Elo rankings.
Biggest ADCC events
2017 ADCC West Coast Trials
2018 ADCC North American Trials
2019 ADCC West Coast Trials
2022 1st ADCC South American Trial
Match records
| Fighters | Result | Opponent | Method | Event | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Bonilla | def. | Connor Holverson | Points | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Billy Baxter | def. | Pedro Nakano | Dq | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Christian Bonilla | def. | Jorge Chavez | Decision | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Christian Bonilla | def. | Anthony O’Dell | Submission | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Joseph Snyder | def. | Aaron Smith | Submission | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Dominic Salcedo | def. | Dominic Blanco | Submission | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Julien Moreno | def. | Dominic Salcedo | Submission | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Joseph Snyder | def. | Mustafa Sadiq | Dq | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Joseph Snyder | def. | Matthew Velez | Submission | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Dominic Blanco | def. | Jackson Busier | Points | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Dominic Salcedo | def. | Giovanni Perillo | Points | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Giovanni Vargas | def. | Renan Bastos Garcia | Dq | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Walter Gomez | def. | Jorge Chavez | Submission | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Guilherme Fernandes | def. | Alex West | Dq | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Hayden Buckner | def. | Alexander Zapantis | Submission | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Victor Delibero | def. | Lucas Smith | Submission | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Gabriel Tejada | def. | Billy Baxter | Points | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Pedro Nakano | def. | Connor Holverson | Points | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Anthony O’Dell | def. | Christian Bonilla | Points | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Jackson Busier | def. | Joseph Snyder | Points | ADCC Miami Open 2025 |
