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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Smith | def. | Dominic Blanco | Submission | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Julien Moreno | def. | Dominic Salcedo | Points | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Logan Hicks | def. | Walter Gomez | Submission | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Sadiq Muhammad | def. | Hian De Carvalho | Points | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Hayden Buckner | def. | Mason Klein | Points | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Demetri Pappas | def. | Esteban Cherigo | Submission | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Jacob Johnston | def. | Gabriel Tejada | Submission | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Anthony O’Dell | def. | Isai Rios Fernandez | Decision | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Victor Delibero | def. | Jorge Chavez | Submission | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Felipe Valentim | def. | Pedro Nakano | Submission | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Matthew Velez | def. | Giovanni Perillo | Points | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Estevan Martinez-Garcia | def. | Aaron Smith | Submission | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Julien Moreno | def. | Mustafa Sadiq | Submission | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Joey Diehl | def. | Jackson Busier | Submission | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Jacob Johnston | def. | Victor Delibero | Submission | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Felipe Valentim | def. | Anthony O’Dell | Submission | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Joey Diehl | def. | Matthew Velez | Points | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Estevan Martinez-Garcia | def. | Julien Moreno | Submission | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Lucas Smith | def. | Christian Bonilla | Submission | ADCC Miami Open 2025 | |
| Julien Moreno | def. | Joseph Snyder | Submission | ADCC Miami Open 2025 |
