This article is part of our ADCC 2024 coverage. To get live results, play by play, and commentary, we’ll have a live updates article running all weekend.
ADCC 2024 is coming up on August 17th and 18th, 2024 and with over a hundred elite grapplers competing at the event there is sure to be some amazing matchups. There are eight divisions and each one of them has some of the top BJJ competitors in the world, so naturally there will be fireworks everywhere. It’s almost impossible to determine who will get the best submission or which match will be the most entertaining, but there’s several potential matchups that have an interesting clash of styles or a storyline building up towards them. These 8 matches will all be among the most intriguing in the entire event, and they’re the ones we’re looking forward to the most.
Click here to see the full competitor list for ADCC 2024.
8 Matchups We Can’t Wait To See At ADCC 2024
Diogo Reis vs Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira 6
It might seem strange to look forward to a match that we’ve already seen several times, but the rivalry between Diogo Reis and Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira has been amazing to watch unfold. Their first match took place in 2022 and although Reis won that, Oliveira now leads the series 3-2 after his most recent win at WNO 21 where Reis was injured during the match. Both men are among the favorites in the under 66kg division so it’s a pretty safe bet they’ll meet in the final or semi-finals, and if they do it will be yet another epic battle.
Chance of Happening: Very Likely
Mica Galvao vs JT Torres
This is one of the matches that most people were looking forward to at ADCC 2022, but unfortunately it didn’t come to pass. JT Torres is a two-time ADCC world champion and although he didn’t medal in 2022, he’s still one of the toughest men to beat at under 77kg. Mica Galvao on the other hand has completed his journey from being a top prospect to one of the best in the world, and he has a silver medal from ADCC 2022 to prove it. They will probably be seeded on opposite sides of the bracket so Torres will have to return to his pre-2022 form to meet Galvao, but if he does then this match will definitely be a treat.
Chance of Happening: Slightly Likely
Giancarlo Bodoni vs Pedro Marinho 3
Giancarlo Bodoni is the reigning champion in the under 88kg division and he’s one of the top contenders to win gold again. Pedro Marinho was competing in the same bracket but went out in the quarter-finals, so he never actually faced Bodoni at ADCC 2022. Marinho did face Bodoni the year before though, and he submitted him with a guillotine. What makes this potential ADCC 2024 matchup even more interesting is that they crossed paths again at WNO 17 and Marinho won again. This match could happen at any point after the opening round and it will be very interesting to see if Bodoni can get past Marinho to retain his title.
Chance of Happening: Decent
Nicholas Meregali vs Kaynan Duarte 6
Nicholas Meregali and Kaynan Duarte are another two men who have had a rivalry going on for quite some time now and it’s been fascinating to watch. They first met all the way back in 2018 when both men were still pretty early on in their black belt careers. Duarte won the first match and they’ve alternated wins since then, with Meregali bringing the series to 3-2 in his favor at WNO 19 last year. Duarte has won two consecutive ADCC titles leading in to this event and Meregali is the returning bronze medalist, so this is also the most likely final match in the under 99kg division.
Chance of Happening: Very Likely
Dan Manasoiu vs Josh Saunders
The over 99kg division is wide open this year, with neither of last year’s finalists competing in the bracket. As always with the unlimited weight class, some competitors will be incredibly physically imposing. This year Dan Manasoiu and Josh Saunders are probably the best examples of that and both men will have physical advantages over most of their opponents. They are likely going to be the biggest men in the division and a battle between them would definitely be thrilling. With both men’s seeding being tough to predict, they could potentially meet at any point during the tournament.
Chance of Happening: Slightly Unlikely
Mayssa Bastos vs Bianca Basilio 2
The introduction of the women’s under 55kg division has been one of the biggest stories heading in to ADCC 2024 as it provides plenty of new and interesting matchups. Mayssa Bastos is one of the women who will benefit from the lower weight limit as one of the smallest female competitors here, and she has some unfinished business in the division. Bianca Basilio holds a win over her from 2018 but Bastos has been on an incredible run over the last two years, so it’ll be interesting to see if she can get revenge here.
Chance of Happening: Very Likely
Helena Crevar vs Beatriz ‘Bia’ Mesquita
Helena Crevar is one of the youngest competitors coming in to ADCC 2024 and there are plenty of new matchups against the best grapplers in the world waiting for her. Beatriz ‘Bia’ Mesquita is the only former ADCC world champion competing in the under 65kg division, so she will likely be Crevar’s toughest possible test. The women’s divisions are smaller so this could happen at any time, and it’ll be a nail-biting match that could either be a passing of the torch or a veteran shutting down a prospect’s rise to the top.
Chance of Happening: Decent
Amy Campo vs Kendall Reusing 2
Amy Campo won a gold medal on her very first attempt at ADCC 2022 and although she’s lost a few matches since then, she’s still coming in as one of the favorites to win again. Kendall Reusing left without a medal at that same event after she suffered an injury in the semi-final, and after taking some time off for recovery she has made a fantastic return. Reusing actually beat Campo in the final of the ADCC East Coast Trials in 2021 and that injury meant that they didn’t meet again, but now the time may have come for the rematch between them.
Chance of Happening: Decent
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