The 2022 ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship was an international submission grappling tournament held at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, from 17–18 September 2022.

Background

The ADCC World Championship is a submission grappling tournament held every two years, widely considered to be the most prestigious submission grappling tournament in the world. The 2022 edition of the ADCC world championships attracted some of the most high-profile sponsors that the tournament has ever seen, most notably The Joe Rogan Experience and ONE Championship.

The 14th edition of the championship was originally scheduled to take place in September 2021 but was postponed to 2022 due to the international travel restrictions and the global lockdowns, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In order to participate, competitors were required to place first in a continental qualifying event, known as ADCC Trials, or by being invited to compete by the organisation. Returning champions or previous world championships medallists were automatically qualified.

As a result of the delays associated with the pandemic, the second Asia and Oceania trial was cancelled and only seven trials events were conducted for ADCC 2022.

Competition highlights

  • Sam McNally, the lowest-seeded competitor in the 66 kg division upset number one seed Garry Tonon in a 3-0 win in the opening round.
  • Kade Ruotolo won the 77 kg division at age 19 becoming the youngest-ever ADCC champion.
  • Haisam Rida won an upset victory by submitting Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu by arm-bar in the 99 kg weight class.
  • PJ Barch won an upset victory against JT Torres to prevent him from winning his third consecutive ADCC world title.
  • Eoghan O'Flanagan surprised fans by defeating Xande Ribeiro and Mason Fowler, eventually finishing fourth in the 88 kg division.
  • Amy Campo upset multiple-time ADCC champion Gabi Garcia, went on to win her division.
  • Ffion Davies became the first British ADCC world champion.
  • Gordon Ryan won the super-fight against André Galvão via rear naked choke.

Participants

Men's divisions had sixteen competitors: eight qualified athletes, seven invitations and the defending ADCC champion. Women's divisions had eight competitors: approximately four qualified athletes, three invitations and the defending ADCC champion; there was some variation due to returning champions, invitees and trials winners moving into different weight divisions. Only the female winners of European, North and South American second trials or Asia & Oceania trial qualified for the World Championship.

Qualifiers

TrialsMenWomen
EventDateLocation-66 kg-77 kg-88 kg-99 kg+99 kg-60 kg+60 kg
1st European Trials18 September 2021Poland Poznan, PolandWales Ashley WilliamsCanada Oliver TazaUnited Kingdom Eoghan O’FlanaganFinland Perttu TepponenFinland Heikki JussilaSouth Africa Peyton LetcherPoland Magdalena Loska
1st North American Trials6–7 November 2021United States Atlantic City, USUnited States Cole AbateUnited States Kade RuotoloUnited States Giancarlo BodoniUnited States Mason FowlerUnited States John HansenCanada Brianna Ste-MarieUnited States Kendall Reusing
2nd North American Trials2-3 April 2022United States Las Vegas, USUnited States Keith KrikorianUnited States William TackettUnited States Jacob RodriguezUnited States Paul ArdilaUnited States Kyle BoehmCanada Brianna Ste-MarieUnited States Amy Campo
1st South American Trials5–6 February 2022Brazil Balneário Camboriú, BrasilBrazil Diogo ReisBrazil Micael GalvâoBrazil Isaque BahienseBrazil Joao CostaBrazil Roosevelt SousaBrazil Daiana TorquatoBrazil Rebecca Albuquerque
2nd South American Trials12–13 February 2022Brazil Balneário Camboriú, BrasilBrazil Fabricio AndreyEcuador Roberto JimenezBrazil Alexandre De JesusBrazil Henrique "Ceconi" CardosoBrazil Gutemberg PereiraBrazil Mayssa BastosBrazil Giovanna Jara
2nd European Trials7-8 May 2022Poland Lubon, PolandRepublic of Ireland Sam McNallyNorway Tommy LangakerFinland Santeri IliusSouth Africa Luke GriffithRomania Dan ManasoiuNorway Julia MaeleCyprus Eleftheria Christodolou
Asian Trials19 June 2022Australia Sydney, AustraliaAustralia Jeremy SkinnerJapan Kenta IwamotoAustralia Roberto Dib FriasAustralia Izaak MichellAustralia Josh SaundersAustralia Adele FornarinoAustralia Nikki Lloyd-Griffiths

Invitees

MenWomen
-66 kg-77 kg-88 kg-99 kg+99 kg-60 kg+60 kg
Brazil Ruan AlvarengaUnited States JT TorresBrazil Matheus DinizBrazil Kaynan DuarteUnited States Gordon RyanBrazil Bianca BasilioBrazil Gabi Garcia
Brazil Kennedy MacielAustralia Lachlan GilesBrazil Alexandre RibeiroUnited States Rafael Lovato JrUnited States Nick RodriguezBrazil Bia MesquitaBrazil Rafaela Guedes
United States AJ AgazarmBrazil Lucas LepriUnited States Josh HingerAustralia Craig JonesBrazil Felipe PenaFinland Elvira KarppinenBrazil Carina Santi
Brazil Gabriel SousaBrazil Davi RamosUnited States Tye RuotoloUnited States Tim SpriggsBrazil João Gabriel RochaWales Ffion DaviesUnited States Kendall Reusing
Canada Ethan CrelinstenUnited States Nicky RyanBrazil Vagner RochaBrazil Patrick GaudioBrazil Victor Hugo
United States Geo MartinezBrazil Renato CanutoBrazil Lucas BarbosaBrazil Nicholas MeregaliUnited States Orlando Sanchez
Brazil Diego PatoCanada Dante LeonUnited States Jon BlankUnited States Elder CruzGhana Haisam Rida
United States Josh CisnerosUnited States Andy VarelaBrazil Vinicius GazolaBrazil Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu
United States Garry TononUnited States PJ BarchUnited States Devhonte JohnsonBrazil Vinny Magalhães
Brazil Yuri SimõesUnited States Damon Ramos
Brazil Max Gimenis
Sources:

ADCC 2022 Superfight

The 2022 World Championship featured a superfight between André Galvão (ADCC Superfight champion, six ADCC titles ) vs Gordon Ryan (ADCC 2019 Absolute champion, unbeaten between 2018 and 2022). Ryan submitted Galvao at 16:04 via a rear-naked choke while holding a 12-0 lead.

Results

Men

DivisionGoldSilverBronze
AbsoluteBrazil Yuri Simões CTABrazil Nicholas Meregali New Wave Jiu Jitsu
United States Tye Ruotolo Atos Jiu-Jitsu
+99 kgUnited States Gordon Ryan New Wave Jiu JitsuUnited States Nick Rodriguez B-Team
Brazil Roosevelt Sousa Fight Sports
-99 kgBrazil Kaynan Duarte Atos Jiu-JitsuAustralia Craig Jones B-Team
Brazil Nicholas Meregali New Wave Jiu Jitsu
-88 kgUnited States Giancarlo Bodoni New Wave Jiu JitsueBrazil Lucas Barbosa Atos Jiu-Jitsu
Brazil Vagner Rocha Fight Sports
-77 kgUnited States Kade Ruotolo Atos Jiu-JitsuBrazil Micael Galvâo Fight Sports
Canada Dante Leon GFTeam
-66 kgBrazil Diogo Reis Fight SportsBrazil Gabriel Sousa ZR Team
Brazil Diego "Pato" Oliveira Dream Art
Source

Women

DivisionGoldSilverBronze
+60 kgUnited States Amy Campo Zenith BJJBrazil Rafaela Guedes Atos Jiu-Jitsu
Brazil Gabi Garcia Alliance
-60 kgWales Ffion Davies Atos InternationalCanada Brianna Ste-Marie Brazilian Top Team (BTT)
Brazil Bia Mesquita Gracie Humaitá
Source

ADCC 2022 Awards

  • Best Athlete: Gordon Ryan
  • Best Match: Vagner Rocha v Izaak Michell
  • Best Throw: Nicholas Meregali
  • Fastest Submission: Gordon Ryan

Awards

The 2022 ADCC world championships won Fight Card of the Year at the 2022 Jitsmagazine BJJ Awards, and Diego "Pato" Oliveira won Submission of the Year for his quarter-final victory over Kennedy Maciel by Z-Lock.

Notes