ADCC 2026 Loses a Wave of Champions Before Krakow, but the Superfight Still Delivers

Gordon Ryan and at least seven other past titleholders are sitting out this cycle, leaving three weight classes without a returning champion and putting all the weight on a new absolute superfight between Kaynan Duarte and Yuri Simoes.

A Wave of Past Champions Steps Aside Before Krakow

When the full invite list for the ADCC 2026 World Championship went public at the start of July, the names missing from it drew more attention than the ones on it. Gordon Ryan, winner of the last two absolute superfights and arguably the sport's biggest draw, has stepped away from competition entirely. He is joined on the sidelines by a group of reigning weight-class titleholders large enough that longtime followers have started calling this the most unusual roster the event has fielded in years.

Diogo Reis, who has held the 66-kilogram title since 2022, will not defend it this time. The 77-kilogram class loses both Mica Galvão, the 2024 winner, and Kade Ruotolo, the 2022 winner, neither of whom chose to return this cycle. Giancarlo Bodoni, the two-time 88-kilogram champion, is reportedly healthy but has instead put his energy into opening his own academy. On the women's side, 60-kilogram champion Ffion Davies and women's absolute champion Beatriz Mesquita are both off the roster, and 55-kilogram titleholder Adele Fornarino was pulled from the confirmed list as recently as July 11.

Duarte and Simoes Still Give the Card Its Marquee Fight

Despite the exodus, the tournament's headline matchup is intact. Kaynan Duarte, the reigning absolute superfight champion, faces Yuri Simoes in the event's showcase bout at Tauron Arena in Krakow on September 12 and 13. With Ryan out of the picture, this pairing effectively becomes the new measuring stick for who controls the sport's most prestigious no-time-limit title.

A handful of other champions did choose to come back and defend, including Felipe Pena on the men's side, plus Ana Carolina Vieira and Rafaela Guedes among the women. Their presence keeps some continuity on a card that otherwise looks almost unrecognizable from the 2024 edition, giving returning fans a few familiar faces to anchor around while newer names fight for the vacated belts.

Vacant Belts Open the Door for New Names

With Reis, Galvão, Ruotolo and Bodoni all out, three of the five men's weight classes will crown a champion who was not the defending titleholder going in. Each division still runs a 16-athlete bracket built from trial winners and direct invitations, so the format itself has not changed, just the list of people standing in it.

For grapplers who follow the sport closely, that turnover is arguably more compelling than a round of rematches would have been. New champions across three weight classes, crowned over the same two days, would reset a meaningful chunk of the sport's competitive picture heading into the next cycle, and it gives up-and-coming competitors a rare opening to make their names at the highest level.

Soft Ticket Sales and a Local Reminder Worth Taking

One number worth watching heading into September is attendance. As of July 13, roughly 6,000 of the roughly 8,900 tickets made available for the Krakow arena had been sold, putting the building near 40 percent capacity with two months still to go before the event. That is a modest pace for a tournament this significant, though grappling events often see sales pick up closer to the date, and the card is expected to stream for anyone not making the trip to Poland.

Whatever happens on the mat in Krakow, this stretch of news is a good reminder of how much turnover exists even at the top of grappling, where retirement, business ventures and simple scheduling choices can reshuffle a division overnight. If watching a superfight like Duarte versus Simoes gets you curious about what actually goes into that level of control on the mat, come try a class with us here in Las Vegas. We will walk you through the same positions these competitors drill every day, at a pace built for wherever you are starting from.

7 Storylines Worth Following Into Krakow

With so many familiar names off the roster, here is what to keep an eye on once the tournament starts.

1. Duarte vs. Simoes: The new headline superfight for the absolute title, filling the spot Gordon Ryan left open.
2. 66kg wide open: Two-time champion Diogo Reis is not defending, leaving the lightest men's bracket without its usual anchor.
3. 77kg logjam gone: Both recent titleholders, Mica Galvão and Kade Ruotolo, are sitting out, clearing a path for a fresh face.
4. 88kg after Bodoni: Two-time champion Giancarlo Bodoni is reportedly healthy but focused on his new academy instead of a title defense.
5. Women's absolute shakeup: With Beatriz Mesquita off the roster, the women's absolute bracket gets a new look from the opening round.
6. Returning anchors: Felipe Pena, Ana Carolina Vieira and Rafaela Guedes give the card some continuity amid all the turnover.
7. Watching from Las Vegas: The event is expected to stream live, with highlight clips typically following soon after each day's card.

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