Jits Magazine will be on hand to provide the live results, play-by-play, analysis, and highlights of absolute division of the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) World Championships 2024, which will be streamed live on FloGrappling on Sunday, August 18th after the rest of the event has finished. Additionally, we have also been on hand to deliver a play-by-play of every match that has taken place across all eight weightclasses at ADCC 2024. As always ADCC 2024 has delivered plenty of excitement and non-stop action across both days, with upsets and underdog victories alongside incredible performances from veteran champions.
Now that the dust has settled on each of the weightclasses and the current generation of ADCC world champions has been crowned, it’s time for the 2024 absolute divisions. For the first time in a very long time, there will be a women’s absolute division as well as the regular men’s absolute. That means that fans will get to see both a male and female absolute champion by the time that the event is over. After the ADCC 2024 Absolute division has finished, we will then move on to offer a live play-by-play of the epic superfight championship match between Gordon Ryan and Yuri Simoes.
In the meantime, check out our coverage of ADCC 2024 during the build-up to this historic event that includes breaking news and several opinion pieces around the event. Or alternatively, take a look back at our original picks for the favourites to win each division, the athletes that we singled out as the dark horses who had the potential to reach the podium before the tournament, and the top matches that we were hoping to see take place.
ADCC 2024 Absolute Divisions Play-by-Play And Results
Men’s Absolute Division
Opening Round
Kaynan Duarte vs Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira
Oliveira sits to guard immediately and Duarte pressures in to stay heavy and avoid the threat of leg attacks. Duarte is having trouble passing thanks to Oliveira’s high-pummels and the constant attempts on the legs. Oliveira is looking for a false reap over and over again, and Duarte does a good job of dealing with it. Oliveira tries to pull a leg through to outside ashi but Duarte stays heavy and uses the position to pass Oliveira’s guard, forcing him to turtle. Duarte gets one hook in and eventually locks up the choke to get the tap.
Kaynan Duarte defeats Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira via Submission – Rear-naked Choke
Declan is too big for Reis standing and he drives him to the ground easily. Reis uses a butterfly sweep to get back to standing though. Moody sends Reis back to the mat again and he passes briefly, but Reis is able to reguard and stand back up. Reis pulls guard this time and Moody passes, forcing him to turtle and taking his back quickly. Moody locks up the rear-naked choke and he gets the tap.
Declan Moody defeats Diogo Reis via Submission – Rear-naked Choke
Cruz picks up a single-leg but he can’t finish it. Galvao charges in on a single-leg of his own and lands it, but Cruz springs back up immediately. Galvao starts leaving his lead leg out to bait a response, but Cruz isn’t biting on it. Galvao pulls guard in the end and he sits upright while Cruz is cautiously engaging. Galvao tries a dummy sweep and it forces Cruz to stay lower, as he drops to his knees now. Galvao tries to wrestle up but backs off when it fails. Another wrestle-up from Galvao is much more successful as he gets sight of Cruz’s back, swings both hooks in, and locks up the choke all within seconds.
Mica Galvao defeats Elder Cruz via Submission – Rear-naked Choke
Both men come out strong and Leon pulls guard, getting in to de la riva. Leon is working to get in on the legs but Perez is playing it smart and staying at a safe distance when he works to pass. Leon is more upright now as Perez is slightly further away and every time he steps in, he’s met with the de la riva hook again. Leon gets a deep underhook to hold his shin but he can’t get in on the legs before Perez disengages. Perez pressure in shortly after points become available, even trying to skip over Leon’s guard unsuccessfully.
An attempt to enter the legs gives Leon sight of Perez’s back but he can’t take it as Perez runs away. Leon keeps attacking off his back but the time runs out on the regulation period before anything more happens. Leon shoots early and Perez sprawls to take the front-headlock, but Leon keeps moving and finishes the action on top with a bodylock. Perez gets back to his feet and another scramble ends with Leon on the bottom, working for the leg entries again. Leon tries to mix it up with wrestling up but the clock runs out before he can score with anything.
Dante Leon defeats Michael Perez via Decision – Judge’s Decision
Giancarlo Bodoni vs Davi Ramos
Bodoni is pressuring forward against Ramos and he manages to get the takedown, with Ramos trying to work from de la riva. Bodoni beats the hook and drops into half-guard, taking a crossface and flattening Ramos out. Bodoni works very patiently from there and works to pass, eventually getting to north-south after several minutes. Bodoni takes the back when Ramos moves and he collects his points, but Ramos escapes to standing shortly after.
Bodoni takes accidental contact to the nose and there’s a break in the action while they stop the bleeding. They restart on the feet and start handfighting but Ramos is defensively sound, picking up a single-leg that doesn’t go anywhere. Ramos shoots and Bodoni stuffs it, turning him over to his back and settling into north-south. Ramos turtles and Bodoni tries to take the back, but the time runs out shortly after.
Giancarlo Bodoni defeats Davi Ramos via Decision – 6 to 0 on Points
Fabricio Andrey vs Vagner Rocha
Rocha is using heavy collar-ties right from the start but Andrey doesn’t seem too bothered by them. Rocha shoots and he brings Andrey down to a hip but he can’t keep him there for more than half a second. Rocha is pushing the pace with attempts at a single-leg now, and he drives Andrey off the mat with them. Rocha gets an underhook and Andrey starts working on a hopping uchi mata, but can’t keep control of Rocha. A quick footsweep from Andrey nearly scores, but he can’t keep Vagner down after he gets him there.
Rocha shoots again and circles around, exposing the back and taking a bodylock from behind. Another exchange ends up with Rocha on Andrey’s back and he’s working for the choke rather than scoring, but the time runs out anyway. They start overtime quickly and Rocha shoots, exposing Andrey’s back when he turtles and stands up. Andrey escapes but Rocha keeps up the pressure, shooting and re-shooting over and over again. Andrey picks up the pace himself in response, but there’s not enough time left in the match for either man to score.
Vagner Rocha defeats Fabricio Andrey via Decision – Judge’s Decision
Roberto ‘Cyborg’ Abreu vs Luiz Paulo
Paulo sits to guard and Abreu is engaging cautiously at first, but he briefly drops into a bodylock with a bit more intention. The match continues in the same fashion for a few minutes, with Abreu making passing attempts and Paulo content to attack from the bottom. Paulo attempts to wrestle up shortly after points become available but Abreu drives him back to the mat and winds up in a much better passing position. Abreu makes his move and gets through to side control, scoring the first points of the match in the process. Paulo recovers eventually but it isn’t long before Abreu gets another pass, this time to mount right before the match ends.
Roberto ‘Cyborg’ Abreu defeats Luiz Paulo via Decision – 6 to 0 on Points
Michell pressures Aitken backward and Aitken responds by meeting him in the clinch and working for inside position. Michell hits a takedown but Aitken attacks an arm when they hit the ground and forces Michell to back away to stay safe. Aitken attacks the legs as he escapes but he can’t deep enough on them, so he stands up with Michell instead. After a few more wrestling exchanges Aitken chooses to accept the bottom position right before points become available. Michell is trying to pass out wide but Aitken is inverting to deal with the threat, and it allows Michell to get close to north-south at one point. Aitken thinks about wrestling up briefly and he comes to a knee, but he decides against it when Michell distances himself. Aitken does follow through on that option later on and he returns to standing, but Michell hits a clean takedown in response and lands in side control. Aitken turtles and Michell takes his back, locking up a body-triangle in the process. Aitken does escape but the match ends just after.
Izaak Michell defeats Ryan Aitken via Decision – 7 to 0 on Points
Quarter-Finals
Kaynan Duarte vs Declan Moody
Duarte gets in on a single-leg and finishes it very quickly. He starts passing and locks up an arm-in guillotine when Moody leans forward a little too much, squeezing hard and getting the finish from top half-guard.
Kaynan Duarte defeats Declan Moody via Submission – Arm-in Guillotine
Mica Galvao vs Dante Leon
They start out on the feet for a while and both men seem eager to wrestle, but Leon pulls guard and Galvao drops into half-guard. They aren’t there for long though as Leon gets an entry to the legs and exposes the heel quickly. He torques it and forces the tap from Galvao.
Dante Leon defeats Mica Galvao via Submission – Heel Hook
Giancarlo Bodoni vs Vagner Rocha
Bodoni and Rocha are working on the feet and Rocha gets a deep underhook, but Bodoni counters with an uchi mata that sends him down. Rocha tries to pull one of Bodoni’s legs through to outside ashi but Bodoni stays heavy on top and shuts it down. Bodoni does free the leg eventually and works his way towards Rocha’s back, keeping him pinned to the mat as he does. Bodoni takes the back and starts digging for the choke, but Rocha is defending very well at first. Bodoni eventually sinks it in and Rocha isn’t able to fight it any more.
Giancarlo Bodoni defeats Vagner Rocha via Submission – Rear-naked Choke
Roberto ‘Cyborg’ Abreu vs Izaak Michell
Abreu is working patiently and Michell is trying to wear him out with feints and shoving. Michell is keeping a higher pace up with his handfighting, frequently finding inside position and leaning on Abreu’s head when he does. Michell hits an armdrag and drives Abreu off the mat with a single-leg, almost hitting another armdrag on the reset. Abreu gets a single-leg of his own but he can’t finish it, and shortly after he’s met with a big takedown attempt from Michell. Abreu scrambles and gets a hold of Michell’s head and arm, using it to force him to the bottom and scoring points for the exchange. Michell turtles and stands but Abreu is able to get a rear-bodylock, and he suplexes him straight off the reset. Michell pops up and it isn’t long before he shoots, but he almost gives up his back in the process and the time runs out shortly after.
Roberto ‘Cyborg’ Abreu defeats Izaak Michell via Decision – 2 to 0 on Points
Semi-Final
Kaynan Duarte vs Dante Leon
Leon pulls guard immediately and Duarte alternates between a split-squat and the headquarters position to keep him under pressure. Duarte eventually finds his way past the knee-shield and gets chest-to-chest, but Leon creates enough space to get to a better position shortly after. Duarte is able to get back to the same position quickly, flattening Leon out very well. Leon recovers and this time he’s able to get in on Duarte’s legs just after, putting him under pressure and trying to come up for a sweep.
Duarte defends it and they’re both standing now, so Leon shoots quickly and he gets stuffed quickly too. Duarte pressures forward and picks up a single-leg, bringing Leon’s hips in and slamming him down to score. Leon gets to work on a leg attack again, but Duarte is pulling on his head and staying heavy on the leg he’s going for. Leon is working at a high pace towards the end of the match and he does invert at one point, but he can’t get anything off before the time runs out.
Kaynan Duarte defeats Dante Leon via Decision – 2 to 0 on Points
Giancarlo Bodoni vs Roberto ‘Cyborg’ Abreu
Bodoni pulls guard to attack the legs but Abreu hits a beautiful backstep to pass straight to side control. Bodoni recovers guard and this encourages Abreu to slow down a little now. Abreu bursts into another backstep and he almost gets another pass, but Bodoni deals with it a bit quicker now and gets back to half-guard. Bodoni attempts an armdrag more than once but Abreu is keeping his hips heavy and he’s able to avoid being pulled into it.
Bodoni is working a lot more now that points are available and he’s keeping Abreu under pressure, but he can’t get him far enough off balance to get in on any attack. Abreu on the other hand is exploding into his pass attempts and putting Bodoni in danger a few times. They go to overtime and Bodoni shoots, but Abreu locks up a front-headlock as he sprawls. Abreu tries to go to the back but Bodoni recovers and stands back up, where both men are pummelling for underhooks.
Bodoni shoots and he gets in on Abreu’s hips, lifting him up and putting him down for half a second. Abreu springs up though and shuts down the followup attempt. Bodoni drops to his back this time and gets to half-guard, but Abreu gets a bodylock and uses it to pass the guard. Bodoni turtles just a little too late to prevent the points from being scored but he does escape the position at least. Abreu takes up top position and Bodoni scrambles back to his feet for a shot, but Abreu sprawls and keeps him there until the match ends.
Roberto ‘Cyborg’ Abreu defeats Giancarlo Bodoni via Decision – 3 to 0 on Points
Third-place Match
Dante Leon vs Giancarlo Bodoni
Leon sits to guard early and he pulls the far-side leg in to attack a kneebar, transitioning to the saddle when Bodoni defends. Leon comes up on top briefly but he goes back to attacking the leg soon after, and Bodoni spins out to escape. Bodoni tries to pass but gives Leon the chance to hit the same entry to the legs, but this time he escapes a little quicker. Bodoni starts using heavy hips to put Leon under pressure, working hard to beat his knee-shield.
Leon gets Bodoni’s leg up by his head briefly but Bodoni is able to get a crossface and sprawl to recover, flattening Leon out for a little while. Leon gets to closed guard and Bodoni stands to break it, dropping back in to pass but being met by a bear-trap in the process. Bodoni frees his leg and gets a crossface again, but Leon doesn’t spend too long flattened out before creating space. Leon gets in on the legs again and he’s much deeper this time, but Bodoni hits a counter-toehold that forces him to abandon the position just before the regulation period ends.
Leon shoots but bails to his back when Bodoni sprawls, and he’s back to working from the knee-shield. Bodoni stays heavy on top and he’s able to stay safe for a while, but Leon is relentless in attacking. Leon gets hold of a leg shortly before the overtime period ends but he isn’t able to score, and they go to the judge’s scorecards.
Dante Leon defeats Giancarlo Bodoni via Decision – Judge’s Decision
Final
Kaynan Duarte vs Roberto ‘Cyborg’ Abreu
Duarte starts at a higher pace but Abreu is the one using heavier collar-ties to wear him down. Duarte hits a slide-by but he can’t quite get behind Abreu before he recovers his footing. Duarte snatches a front-headlock and locks up the arm-in guillotine immediately, squeezing hard to force the tap.
Podium Placement
1 – Kaynan Duarte
2 – Roberto ‘Cyborg’ Abreu
3 – Dante Leon
Women’s Absolute Division
Quarter-Finals
Bianca Basilio vs Rafaela Guedes
Basilio comes out at a high pace but Guedes is very strong, and she hits a snap-down that takes some effort to deal with. They continue working on the feet and Basilio slows down a little, falling into the same rhythm as Guedes. Guedes shoots and gets in on a single-leg but Basilio hits a quick counter-throw and almost manages to secure it. Guedes stands before points are scored and gets back to work on the feet, securing a Russian 2-on-1 grip.
She uses it to set up an inside trip and chains that to a single-leg, then a double-leg and lands a big slam takedown to score. Basilio works her way to the feet and tries for a throw that sends Guedes over, but she recovers again and stays upright. Guedes hits another takedown and lands in side control, scoring big for the sequence. Basilio turtles and Guedes tries to lock up a choke, but she doesn’t get close to finishing it before the match ends.
Rafaela Guedes defeats Bianca Basilio via Decision – 6 to 0 on Points
Adele Fornarino vs Brianna Ste-Marie
Fornarino pulls guard early and takes up Z-guard when Ste-Marie drops into a split-squat passing position. Fornarino inverts and gets an entry to the legs, forcing Ste-Marie to drop down to defend and escape the entanglement. Ste-Marie does a better job of staying heavy and denying Fornarino any opportunity to get at her legs. Ste-Marie gets stuck in closed guard briefly but she steps out when Fornarino opens it and gets back to the split-squat position. Fornarino hits a lovely choi bar entry and Ste-Marie rolls over to deal with it, but it’s too late and Fornarino gets the tap.
Adele Fornarino defeats Brianna Ste-Marie via Submission – Armbar
Amy Campo vs Amanda Leve
Campo and Leve start with mercy-grips and both women are bent over, clearly wary of any shots coming in. They keep going at a measured pace, trading attempts steadily over the course of the first half of the round. They start working faster when points are available, and Campo is able to score with a takedown. She stays heavy on top and forces her way through to quarter-guard, putting Leve under a ton of pressure in the process. Campo spins all the way round to attack the legs, getting into the saddle but she can’t separate the legs. Campo resets to top position and Leve tries to use the space to wrestle up, but it allows Campo to get back to the saddle again just before the match ends.
Amy Campo defeats Amanda Leve via Decision – 2 to 0 on Points
Kendall Reusing vs Beatriz ‘Bia’ Mesquita
Mesquita shoots in for a single-leg early and Reusing is trying to use a guillotine to deal with the threat, but Mesquita powers through and finishes the takedown. Reusing turtles and Mesquita takes a seatbelt before they get reset in the centre, slowly working her hooks in and getting the finish with the choke shortly after.
Beatriz ‘Bia’ Mesquita defeats Kendall Reusing via Submission – Rear-naked Choke
Semi-Final
Rafaela Guedes vs Adele Fornarino
Fornarino pulls guard very early and she’s using 2-on-1 grips to try and isolate one of Guedes’ arms from closed guard. Fornarino tries an armdrag but she can’t get it to work, so she pummels her leg inside instead. She finds her way back to closed guard and starts working with an overhook, where the action slows for a while. Guedes is able to get up to her feet when Fornarino opens the guard and she’s able to pass a bit more dynamically now. One pass attempt gives Fornarino the chance to catch the arm in transition, so she loops her leg over and cranks on it hard to get a quick finish.
Adele Fornarino defeats Rafaela Guedes via Submission – Armlock
Amy Campo vs Beatriz ‘Bia’ Mesquita
Campo and Mesquita are both looking to wrestle and they start a feeling-out process. They’re both taking it slower while points aren’t available, and Campo soots in soon after they are. Mesquita counters brilliantly and gets underneath her, dumping her to the mat and solidifying the position to score. Campo wrestles up and they get back to working in the clinch, travelling off the mat a few times during their exchanges.
Campo picks up the pace a lot in the last two minutes and she’s alternating between shooting and grabbing the front-headlock. She can’t get either one to work though as Mesquita is playing a solid defensive game to deny everything. Campo shoots again and this time winds up on the bottom, which is where she stays as the time runs out.
Beatriz ‘Bia’ Mesquita defeats Amy Campo via Decision – 2 to 0 on Points
Third-place Match
Rafaela Guedes vs Amy Campo
Amy Campo wins the bronze medal by default as Rafaela Guedes does not compete.
Final
Adele Fornarino vs Beatriz ‘Bia’ Mesquita
Fornarino and Mesquita start working on the feet and Fornarino is leading with her leg, clearly looking for an uchi mata. Mesquita is keeping her hips far enough away to stop it though and Fornarino cranks on a mir lock that causes her to disengage. Fornarino rips another mir lock when Mesquita fishes for an underhook, and she backs away again. Mesquita pressures forward and picks up a quick takedown, landing in side control with a good crossface.
Fornarino creates space and gets to Z-guard, where she’s looking to control the far-side arm to set up her attacks. Mesquita gets an underhook but Fornarino stands up with her overhook control and jumps to closed guard. Fornarino gets a shoulder-crunch and she starts to set up her attacks, but Mesquita keeps her arm safe and manages to posture out of it. Points are in play and Mesquita is given a penalty right before she breaks free of closed guard, so she starts alternating between standing passes and the split-squat position.
Mesquita is given another penalty after she slows down again, and Fornarino swings her leg over or a choi bar entry when Mesquita engages. Mesquita rolls to defend and Fornarino transitions to a triangle choke, slipping off to the side as she does so. Fornarino starts attacking a kimura on the trapped arm but she can’t get it, so she works to separate Mesquita’s arms instead. She spends the next few minutes trying to pry the arm free but Mesquita hunkers down and stays in the stalemate until the match ends.
Adele Fornarino defeats Beatriz ‘Bia’ Mesquita via Decision – 0 to -2 on Points
Podium Placement
1 – Adele Fornarino
2 – Beatriz ‘Bia’ Mesquita
3 – Amy Campo
