The first edition of the ADCC South American Trials 2026 is scheduled for March 14th, 2026 and we’ve put together a preview of all 8 divisions being contested at the event. Invites to ADCC 2026 will only be available for the men’s weight classes, so naturally there are less women competing this time around. The second edition of the Trials will take place just one week later though, so the female divisions will increase in size significantly then. For now, most of the action will be taking place in the men’s divisions as hundreds of grapplers battle it out for just 5 spots in the world’s most prestigious no gi grappling tournament.
ADCC First South American Trials 2026 Full Preview
Men’s Divisions
Under 66kg
Favorites: Kaua Gabriel is the man to beat at under 66kg, and he’ll be gunning for the top spot after having had to settle for silver at both of the South American Trials in 2024. Neither of the men who beat him in those finals are here now and he’s improved even more since then, so this looks like his to lose. There’s 91 men in the division though so plenty of room for surprises, like the always-exciting Felipe Machado. Gabriel has beaten Machado before though, and it was back in 2022 when he was just 18 years old.
Dark Horse: Vanguard BJJ’s Joshua Flores is one of the biggest teenage prospects around right now, having made the top 8 of both of the last South American Trials. That’s really impressive for a then-16 year-old and he’s only gotten better, so he should make another deep run here.
Under 77kg
Favorites: Although under 77kg is the biggest division in this whole preview of the first ADCC South American Trials 2026, it’s also the one with the murkiest picture, as there’s no real standout top contender. Having 100 men in the bracket also means that exhaustion will become a factor in the later rounds and there will almost certainly be some upsets. Jefferson Pontes won a silver medal back at the first ADCC South American Trial 2024, so he has a good chance of winning in fairness. Lucas Torres might be the slight favorite over him though, as the Peruvian black belt has been tearing up the ADCC Open circuit with some really impressive results in the last two years.
Dark Horse: Arthur Figueiredo is yet another young prospect training under Melqui Galvao and he’s another testament to how well Galvao’s youth system works. At just 18 years old it already looks like he’s going to make a decent impact on the Brazilian no gi circuit over the next few years, and this bracket will be a great test for him at this stage of his career.
Under 88kg
Favorites: Under 88kg is the most stacked division by far, even though there’s just 69 men in it. It’s a surprise to see Paul Ardila competing here instead of the North American Trials for once but he is an absolute machine, with 4 Trials gold medals under his belt so far. Charles Negromonte won the first edition of this event last time around so he is another solid contender for the title, while Francisco Lo is such an unpredictable and exciting grappler that he’s always in with a chance of beating anyone. Finally, elite gi competitor Gustavo Batista is in the mix too and he’s proven plenty of times over that he’s just as good in no gi so he should do well too.
Dark Horse: Gabriel Brod has performed consistently well on the IBJJF no gi circuit in Brazil so he’s faced a lot of his opponents here before, and won most of those matches. He should make a decent run at least, but he’ll need a few upsets if he wants to win gold.
Under 99kg
Favorites: Elioenai Braz is probably the top contender at under 99kg on paper and he has come very close before, winning a silver medal at both the first and second ADCC South American Trials 2024. Veteran black belt Fellipe Trovo is more than capable of throwing a spanner in the works and getting an upset win though, and Braz will have to be very careful against him even though he’s beaten him before.
Dark Horse: Rafael Trabuco is a great grappler and although he hasn’t been a black belt for long, he’s had some good wins at this level already. It’s a small bracket so he should be able to get to the later stages but Braz has beaten him twice last year so he’ll probably need to get revenge if he wants to win an invite to ADCC 2026.
Over 99kg
Favorites: This is the smallest men’s division with just 30 competitors and there’s one man who stands out above the rest, Roosevelt Sousa. Sousa was already an ADCC veteran but he hit the highest point of his career just a few months ago, as he came away as the double champion at the IBJJF No Gi World Championship 2025. Sousa is undoubtedly the man to beat, but he still has some tough matches ahead. His biggest challenge will probably come from Yatan Bueno, but Antonio Assef won a silver medal here last year and may well cause an upset.
Dark Horse: Pedro Alex has had mixed results against the three favorites and beating two or more of them on the same weekend is a big challenge, but he is an excellent positional grappler who can outwork anyone on the right day.
Women’s Divisions
Under 55kg
Favorite: There are just 7 women competing at under 55kg, making it the smallest division in this preview of the first ADCC South American Trials 2026. Izabel Seki has a fair amount more experience than her opponents at the highest level and she is the most likely winner by a pretty sizeable margin.
Dark Horse: Montserrat Perez is a talented Chilean purple belt and she has been building up a fair bit of experience on the ADCC Open circuit. It’s unlikely she beats Seki in a direct match but it wouldn’t be too surprising to see her stood on the podium next to her.
Under 65kg
Favoriteu: Julia Boscher is the clear favorite out of the 14 women at under 65kg, and she’s been a black belt for longer than some of the competitors here have been training. She has great passing and she’s beaten a fair amount of Brazil’s top talent over the last few years, so there shouldn’t be anything she hasn’t seen before here.
Dark Horse: Ana Silva is a 20 year-old brown belt under Melqui Galvao and she’s definitely going to be one to watch in this division. It’s a pretty small bracket so anyone could make a run to the podium really, but Silva is a pretty safe bet.
Over 65kg
Favorites: There are 14 women competing here but the final seems almost locked in already, as there are two truly elite grapplers in the mix. Maria Ruffatto actually won both of the last South American Trials back in 2026, and there aren’t many women who could stop her from making it three in a row. Ingridd Alves is one of them though, and she’s in the bracket now. Alves is generally more of a gi specialist but she has won a silver medal at the ADCC South American Trials in 2022 so a gold here is not our of the question.
Dark Horse: Maria Abreu might be just 16 years old but the young purple belt has already beaten adult competitors so this shouldn’t be a crazy stretch for her. It would take something remarkable for her to get into the final, but she should enjoy a good run no matter where she finishes.
The full ADCC First South American Trials 2026 live event, including all of the divisions in the above preview, is available to watch on March 14th on FloGrappling, click here to subscribe and watch.
