The ADCC European, Middle-Eastern, and African Trials 2024 will take place on February 17th, 2024 and we’ve put together a full preview of all 8 divisions being contested at the event. This is the first tournament in the current cycle of ADCC Trials where all 8 of the winners will be awarded an invite to ADCC 2024 and hundreds of grapplers will be attempting to emerge victorious. There are several former winners entering each bracket and medalists from the last edition of ADCC European, Middle-Eastern, and African Trials in 2023 too. By the time that the tournament comes to an end, the 8 men and women who win will all have had to get through a gauntlet of elite opponents in order to do so.
ADCC European, Middle-Eastern, & African Trials 2024 Full Preview
Men’s Divisions
Under 66kg
Favorites – Sam McNally and Ashley Williams both won separate editions of these Trials for ADCC 2022 so naturally they’re coming in to this edition as two of the top contenders. Cameron Donnelly is equally likely to stand on top of the podium in the end as well, as the B-Team Jiu-Jitsu competitor has been in great form lately and even won a silver medal at the last ADCC European Trials. The most likely outcome is that one of these three men win the under 66kg division, although there’s plenty of opposition who may very well stop them.
Dark Horse – Yigit Hanay is a young grappler who made a big impact at the last edition of ADCC European Trials when he managed to make it all the way to the semi-finals. He won bronze by default when Ashley Williams withdrew from their match though, so he wasn’t tested by the top contenders in the division and may not be able to make it to the very top of the podium.
Under 77kg
Favorites – Oliver Taza and Tommy Langaker are another pair of former ADCC Trials winners but they aren’t the only grapplers in this weight class who made an appearance at ADCC 2022. Mateusz Szczecinski is the other man with the highest level of ADCC experience and his incredible leglock abilities are a huge equalizer that has enabled him to beat so many top competitors. Although Langaker should be able to win the invite at under 77kg, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Taza or Szczecinski do so instead.
Dark Horse – David Asare missed out on the last edition of ADCC Trials in Europe and it’s a shame, because many people were waiting to see what he could do. The young New Wave Jiu-Jitsu prospect should make it pretty far through the bracket, but the odds are heavily stacked against him with three ADCC veterans standing in his way.
Under 88kg
Favorites – Adam Wardzinski is the heavy favorite for this preview of the under 88kg division at the ADCC European, Middle-Eastern, and African Trials 2024. He’s been one of the best competitors in Europe for quite some time now but he hit a whole new level over the last few years and should be able to clear out the bracket. Chris Wojcik is the returning bronze medalist and probably his biggest threat, as he could walk away with the title if he’s able to Wardzinski when they cross paths.
Dark Horse – Tuomos Simola came away with a silver medal at the last edition of the ADCC Trials in Europe, although he didn’t have to beat Wojcik to get there. Both Wojcik and Wardzinski should be able to beat him, but he could spring a surprise and end up on top of the podium if he is able to win one or both of those matches.
Under 99kg
Favorites – Perttu Tepponen is another veteran of ADCC 2022 and he’s the only notable name competing in the under 99kg division this time around. Meraz Avdoyan managed to win a silver medal at this weight in the last edition of ADCC Trials and the most likely outcome here is either he does slightly better or Tepponen is able to win again.
Dark Horse – Mohammed Avtarhanov is a fantastic competitor who actually beat Chris Wojcik at the end of 2023 and although he had a size advantage, that’s still a huge accomplishment. ADCC Trials is a whole other level of competition of course, but Avtarhanov definitely has the ability to win if he’s able to impose his game on his opponents.
Over 99kg
Favorites – The over 99kg division is pretty much wide open as far as this preview of the ADCC European, Middle-Eastern, and African Trials 2024 goes. Freddie Vosgrone is one of the best competitors at this weight in the UK so it’ll be interesting to see if he can reach the next level of the sport. Oskar Svels is also a great grappler and has a high level leglock game that isn’t often seen at the heavier weight classes, so he might be able to win here instead.
Dark Horse – This is the smallest men’s division with just 25 entrants so there’s not much room for surprises, but there is one competitor who might be able to cause difficulty. Jed Hue has entered at over 99kg and although he should be a fair amount smaller than most of his opponents, he should also be faster and have better cardio which could lead to him causing some upsets.
Women’s Divisions
Under 55kg
Favorites – Josefine Modig won the under 55kg division at the last edition of ADCC European Trials but the field of competitors is much stronger now that there’s an invite on the line in the women’s divisions. There’s also Margot Ciccarelli and Julia Maele, both of whom have had success at a high level and could easily win the lightest women’s weight class.
Dark Horse – Ashley Bendle has been right on the edge of the highest level of competition for a while now and she managed to win a bronze medal at the last edition of ADCC Trials. She definitely has the skills to win the division but she’ll have to get past some of the best women in the world if she does so.
Under 65kg
Favorites – Ane Svendson won the over 65kg division and the teenage Sani Brannfors won this division at the last ADCC European Trials, but they’re both competing here this time around. It won’t be easy now with a deeper bracket though, with both Aurelie Le Vern and Rosa Walsh standing out as top contenders to win an invite to ADCC 2024.
Dark Horse – Nadia Frankland is one of the best young Australian competitors around and it’s not hard to imagine her beating one or two of the top contenders in the bracket. If the draw goes her way then that might actually be enough for her to win the tournament.
Over 65kg
Favorites – Salla Simola is a fantastic young competitor and she left the last ADCC European Trials with a bronze medal after suffering just a single loss. Alongside the returning silver medalist Jessika Torttila, the only woman who beat them in that tournament is not in the division. Maria Malyjasiak has entered the bracket though, so there is still another top contender for the invite at over 65kg.
Dark Horse – Hannah Griffith is another prospect from New Wave Jiu-Jitsu and she’s actually the younger sister of a two-time ADCC Trials winner; Luke Griffith. It’s unlikely that she has made such a huge improvement that she’s able to win the whole division, but she might surprise a few people by making it to the podium at least.
The full competitor list for every division in this preview of the ADCC European, Middle-Eastern, and African Trials 2024 can be found here.
