> ADCC

The ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship — commonly called ADCC, short for Abu Dhabi Combat Club — is the most prestigious no-gi submission grappling tournament in the world. It was founded in 1998 in Abu Dhabi by Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, son of former UAE president Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, together with his Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor Nelson Monteiro. Often called “The Olympics of Grappling,” ADCC established the ruleset and competitive standard that shaped modern submission grappling globally.

The championship is held biennially, featuring weight-class and absolute divisions for both men and women, and has been hosted in Brazil, China, Finland, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Royler Gracie has described the inaugural 1998 event as marking “the beginning of the modern era of submission grappling.” Mo Jassim took over as head organizer for the 2019 edition and has since overseen the 2019, 2022, and 2024 championships — the first person to organize three consecutive editions. The 2022 edition, held in Las Vegas after a COVID-19-forced gap, drew record live audiences; 2024 saw the return of a women’s absolute division for the first time since 2007.

Note: ADCC is a biennial championship event, not a year-round promotion. Between editions, affiliated ADCC Trials events are held globally to qualify athletes for the main tournament.