ADCC 2026 preview and predictions: Everything you need to know about the BJJ card that’s being slept on

The ADCC World Championship only happens once every two years, and it finally returns this week, the 12th-13th. September 2026, Tauron Arena in Krakow, Poland. With ADCC 2026 upon us, here’s everything you need to know about the most prestigious fighting event that everyone seems to underestimate.

Don’t sleep on ADCC 2026: fewer names and weird hours, but still a must-see

ADCC’s “Olympics of Grappling” label was always a flawed comparison, but it accurately represents the prestige and attention these world championships typically receive every two years. ADCC 2026 is once again the biggest and best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) event of the year – even more Canceled plans and absence of CJI — but this iteration is something that most combat sports fans sleep through.

It’s easy to see that there will be less hype this year because there are several factors working against them. By moving from the US to Poland, ADCC will be airing at odd hours and their marketing will be spent in Europe instead of the US. Perhaps more importantly, this iteration also features fewer big names (and drama).

Previous stars like Gordon Ryan and Craig Jones is long retired, while some younger talents like it Jealous Ruotolo, This is Ruotolo, Andrew Tackettand Nick Rodriguez is either locked into exclusive deals or simply prefer higher paying opportunities elsewhere. The five reigning champions who were previously confirmed for ADCC 2026 are also out due to injuries or other circumstances such as Adele Fornarino leaving for a UFC BJJ title fightand both Diogo Reis and Mica Galvao deal with The aftermath of the arrest of Melqui Galvao.

While it’s easy for more casual sports fans to focus on the missing names and the 5 o’clock in the morning, I’d argue that it would be a mistake to sleep on this event, both literally and figuratively.

Except for the few winners who made it out, all these other names also skipped the last ADCC and were never going to compete in the event. Three reigning ADCC champions return, incl Felipe Pena and reigning double champion Kaynan Duartewho competes in his 99 kg division with a busy schedule, in the main event super fight Yuri Simoesand possibly an absolute distribution. The card is still incredibly stacked with BJJ stars and world champions competing in unpredictable and wide-ranging divisions, and it’s the only opportunity to watch this level of talent come together for a long time.

While Europe’s start times aren’t great for the US, it’s still easy enough to start your day and catch some of the best wrestlers in the world. Let’s quickly break down all of these deep divisions and try to predict who will come out with the ADCC World Titles.

ADCC 2026 Picks and Predictions

Official fight card and The list of ADCC 2026 competitors can be found here. The official brackets won’t be released until September 11, 2026, so it’s hard to make more accurate predictions this early, but below is a quick breakdown of each division.

ADCC Preview: Men’s Divisions

66 kg: This is by far the most entertaining division, as it ensures an incredibly fast pace and a very comprehensive list of competitors. As noted above, a two-time ADCC champion Diogo Reis is out and the division is wide open. Probably my early favorites for the medal Dorian Olivarez, Diego Pato, Fabricio Andreibut it is easy to see other contenders and dark horses Kennedy Maciel, Gavin Corbe, Owen Jones and Gianni Grippo the key disturbs. It’s hard for anyone to get through this gauntlet, so it could go either way, but I’m predicting Pato and Olivarez in the final. Since the ADCC rules favor his grappling and pressure, I am Picking Dorian Olivarez to win gold.

77 kg: Just like his longtime teammate, Mica Galvao is also out and we have a new champion weighing 77 kg. Dante Leon, PJ Barch, Taylor Pearman and Michael Sainz are all medal threats, but I predict a final between the local Polish submission hunter Mateusz Szczecinski and the reigning 88kg ADCC silver medalist Wagner Rocha. He will lose the division and the rules may favor a bigger and better wrestler in Rocha if he does indeed make it to the finals and/or overtime. It is also crazy to think simply how good he is still at 44 years old — even after a heart attack – and that she now competes in the ADCC with her two children. Still, I think the Polaris champion is the most dangerous finisher in this entire division. I think early statements can keep him fresher than other competitors I’m picking Mateusz Szczecinski to win gold at 77kg.

88 kg: Two-time ADCC Champion Giancarlo Bodoni has been pushing hard lately and pulled out with an injury. The division is wide open, with names like Joseph Chen, Pawel Jaworski, Lucas Kanardand Gustavo Batista as likely medal contenders and Chris Wojcik and Faris Ben-Lamkadem as dark horses in a very unpredictable division. Chen is moving up a division and clearly has the technical ability to beat anyone in the division, but he can also be outclassed and overwhelmed by bigger, more explosive athletes. Kanard also has the upper hand on him, but arrives at short notice can make a deep run difficult. It’s hard to predict without actual brackets, but with the right games, a final between young rising stars in Jaworski and Chen is certainly conceivable. Jozef Chen can steal a close decision to win the gold.

99 kg: This is the most stacked and intriguing division on the card with the four-time ADCC champion Kaynan Duarte It is likely to be a very tough run to try and get a fifth title. An incredibly deep division includes a decorated gi world champion Adam WardzinskiWNO Champion Luke Griffith, Achilles Rocha, Eoghan O’Flanagan, Michael Pixleyand Cyborg Abreu. It’s easy to see upsets at each stage, but I’m predicting a final between them Kaynan Duarte and WNO bantamweight champion Declan Moody. Duarte just seems to look and compete differently at ADCC events and is obviously more familiar with the rules, but I think Moody has the size and skill to pull off the upset. This split could go so many ways, but I’ll pick Declan Moody wins on points and takes gold.

+99 kg: Felipe Pena will return to try and defend his title and it would be fair to call him one of the medal favourites Victor Hugo and Dan Manasoi. They have tough games against such game candidates The smelliest row, Josh Saunders, Brandon Reed and Roosevelt Sousabut I predict a final between Pena and Hugo. It should be a pretty fun matchup and I’m predicting a younger one Victor Hugo wins his first ADCC gold here.

ADCC Preview: Women’s Divisions

Women’s 55 kg: Reigning double champion Adele Fornarino opted for a title shot with UFC BJJ in part because ADCC unfortunately removed the women’s absolute tournament this year. It should still be a fun split where I’m at Mayssa Bastos, Ana Mayordomoand Jasmine Rocha as medal favourites. If he returns to form from injury, I predict a final between two-time ADCC Trials winner Mayordomo and award-winning World Champion Bastos. It should be close, but I think this is the year the 10-time IBJJF World Champion wins his first ADCC World Championship, Mayssa Bastos by decision.

Women’s 65 kg: Ana Carolina Viera will return to try and defend his title, but he will have a tough test here against a much younger opponent. I predict that he will meet Sarah Galvao in the final which would be a rematch from CJI 2. I think the result will remain the same, pace and wrestling will be key and Sarah Galvao takes the gold.

Women up to 65 kg: Rafaela Guedes will not be returning to defend their title and the two favorites likely to reach the final are Helena Crevar and Gabi Pessanha. It’s curious how Crevar moved up a division, eliminating a possible rematch with Sarah Galvao, and instead faces arguably less technical but much bigger opponents. Pessanha is arrives at short noticewhich gives some pause and he also wouldn’t have much gi experience compared to Crevar. He might just be too big and too strong here, so I think Gabi Pessanha will take the gold and complete a rare super grand slam this year (for winning every major IBJJF title in a gi and for winning an ADCC title in a no gi).

Absolute distributions: It is unfortunate that ADCC does not have women’s absolute divisions this year. We also won’t know who will compete in the men’s absolute until tournament day, but it’s relatively safer to predict the 99kg winner will take double gold, as they are skilled enough to handle the +99 wrestlers and big enough to outmuscle the rest of the field. Could it be Moody or Duarte? It’s impossible to predict at this point, but it will be fun to see some giant killers from the smaller divisions make a run.

ADCC 2026 full schedule, how to watch, live stream, start times

ADCC 2026 will take place on 12-13 September 2026 at the Tauron Arena in Krakow, Poland. The first matches will likely start very early in the morning for those in the US, but later rounds and days of competition should finish after midday.

Live streams will be on FloGrappling, with some early contests likely streaming for free on YouTube. The full schedule for Day 1 and Day 2 of ADCC 2026 is as follows:

ADCC 2026 Day 1, 12 September 2026:

ADCC 2026 Day 2, 13 September 2026:

Official start times for the following rounds will vary, but the remaining schedule for ADCC 2026 Day 2 is below.

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