Adam Wardzinski has just won the IBJJF World Championship 2024 and becomes the very first male European to become a world champion at the event. It’s an incredible achievement that really cannot be understated, and it solidifies Wardzinski’s status as the most feared man in Europe in the gi. Wardzinski has been one of the top European grapplers for what feels like forever now, and he has been competing constantly ever since he was promoted to black belt back in 2016. Now after almost a decade competing among the best in the world, Wardzinski has finally been able to stand on top of the sport’s most prestigious podium.
There were early signs that Wardzinski might one day achieve this, as he won the IBJJF European Championship as a brown belt and beat several elite grapplers not long after he was promoted to black belt. He regularly stood on the podium of major events and after a few silver and bronze medals, he won his first major IBJJF black belt gold medal in 2022. That seemed to be the start of Wardzinski reaching a whole new level in his career and whether it was due to increased skill or confidence, he has added another three major IBJJF titles to his collection since then.
Armed with what many consider to be the best butterfly guard in the world right now, Wardzinski was coming in to the IBJJF World Championship 2024 as a top contender for the heavyweight title. He beat 4 of the best grapplers in the world over 2 days and became a world champion for the first time, marking the highest point of his career to date. Although several European women have become a world champion, until now the male winners have almost always been Brazilian or American and Adam Wardzinski is the first and only European man to stand on top of that podium.
The full results from the IBJJF World Championship 2024 can be found here.
