2022 ADCC World Championship

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

Invitees

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

Women

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

References

1. 2024 ADCC World Championship
2. ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship
3. Kade Ruotolo
4. Tye Ruotolo
5. Orlando Sanchez (fighter)
6. List of ADCC Hall of Fame inductees
7. Lenne Hardt
8. Diogo Reis
9. Ffion Davies
10. Felipe Pena
11. Craig Jones (grappler)
12. Nicholas Meregali
13. Nick Rodriguez
14. Yuri Simões
15. Mikey Musumeci
16. Kaynan Duarte
17. Roberto Jimenez (grappler)
18. Garry Tonon
19. Haisam Rida
20. Amy Campo