This season’s ADCC World Championship was defined by individual journeys that made the two days of competition, September 12 and 13 in Krakow, Poland, even more fascinating. Some athletes reaching the top of grappling’s World Cup was not exactly a surprise given their brilliant paths to get there, and Pawel Jaworski and Helena Crevar are great examples of that.
The first Pole to take ADCC gold home, and the fourth European, Pawel advanced through the competition just as expected. His signature style, built on leg and foot attacks, may be predictable, but it remains unstoppable. The only one who managed to withstand that game without tapping was Sweden’s Marlon Tajik, who met Pawel in the under-88kg final. The black belt making his ADCC debut, and silver medalist, deserves an honorable mention. Pulling double duty in his weight class and the open class, he submitted names like Nathan Haddad and Javier Zaruski.
KINGSWAY’S PRIDE: HELENA CREVAR WON THE ADCC WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WITH A PERFECT RECORD
Helena Crevar truly is the kind of athlete born to carve her name into history. At just 19 years old, this was her second appearance at the main ADCC event. Competing in the over-65kg division, the student of John Danaher and Gordon Ryan won every match by submission. Another record for the books: a submission in every match for the youngest ADCC champion in history. That distinction no longer belongs to Kade Ruotolo.
Speaking of youth, the great stories of ADCC 2026 were not written by champions alone. Joslyn Molina, also from Kingsway and only 14 years old, left the tournament looking like a phenom. She took bronze after being stopped by Sarah Galvão in a tight under-65kg semifinal. In the third-place match, the teenager beat Mo Black to reach the podium.
Felipe Pena delivered a memorable run in the open class, redeeming himself after his loss to Josh Saunders in the over-99kg semifinal. Open class champion after almost not competing due to a foot injury, the Gracie Barra multiple-time champion added even more to his résumé: he is the only athlete in ADCC history to hold two open class titles. He won the first in 2017 by beating Gordon Ryan in the final. This year, he submitted Roosevelt Sousa with a rear-naked choke in the gold medal match.
The division that belonged to Felipe Pena made room for another Brazilian champion. Victor Hugo, a Xande Ribeiro black belt, put together an ADCC run of unmistakable efficiency. With a guard game that set up his attacks, VH made every opponent tap with submission attempts. In his post-fight interview, the athlete announced that he no longer plans to compete in tournaments with this format. Mission accomplished. Now, decorated in both gi and no-gi, he can choose what makes the most sense for his career, such as superfights.
KENNEDY MACIEL’S RUN WAS ONE OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE OF THE COMPETITION, KNOCKING OUT FAVORITES ON THE WAY TO GOLD
The athlete who left the Tauron Arena with the under-66kg gold medal was Kennedy Maciel, an achievement that comes with details that make the whole story even more interesting. Kennedy is the son of Rubens ‘Cobrinha’, a three-time champion and legendary ADCC figure. It is the first time a father and son have both reached the top of the World Championship. Kennedy’s path to first place was a true odyssey. In the quarterfinals and semifinals, in that order, he eliminated Fabricio Andrey and Diego ‘Pato’ by decision, two clear title favorites.
Kaynan Duarte could not replicate the dominance of his 2024 ADCC World Championship run. Luke Griffith once again got the better of the Brazilian in the rematch, beating the then-division champion with a rear-naked choke. In his superfight with Yuri Simões, Kaynan also failed to perform as expected. During a scramble to the ground, the athlete suffered an injury, and Yuri won the match by medical stoppage.
ALL THE MEN’S AND WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS OF ADCC 2026:
66 KG: Kennedy Maciel (BRA / Alliance)
77 KG: Magomed Dzharbaev (RUS / Agate Team)
88 KG: Pawel Jaworski (POL / A. Gorila)
99 KG: Luke Griffith (ZAF / Kingsway)
+99 KG: Victor Hugo (BRA / Six Blades)
OPEN CLASS: Felipe Pena (BRA / FP Team)
60 KG: Jasmine Rocha (USA / VRMA)
65 KG: Ana Carolina Vieira (BRA / Aviv BJJ)
+65 KG: Helena Crevar (USA / Kingsway)
This article was originally published in Portuguese: read the original version.
