The ADCC North American East Coast Trials 2023 are scheduled for October 14th and 15th, 2023 and we’ve put together a full preview of every division at the event. There are around a thousand grapplers making the journey to compete across all 8 of the brackets and the eventual winners will have to beat up to 8 other competitors across both days in order to reach the top of the podium. Each of the winners of the men’s divisions will receive an invite to ADCC 2024 but as this is the first ADCC Trials event in this continent, there are no invites available for female competitors.
The full competitor list for every division in the below preview of the ADCC North American East Coast Trials 2023 can be found here.
ADCC North American East Coast Trials 2023 Preview
Men’s Under 66kg
Favorites – There are some fantastic competitors in the under 66kg division, including several former ADCC Trials winners. Ethan Crelinsten and Keith Krikorian are known for both having plenty of success at Trials events in the past and they stand out as the immediate favorites. Gianni Grippo is more than capable of beating either of them though, while Deandre Corbe and Gavin Corbe have been in fantastic form lately. The most likely outcome is that some combination of these men make up the podium placements once the dust has settled.
Dark Horses – Dominic Mejia has had some fantastic performances on the ADCC Open circuit lately and it’ll be interesting to see how he fares against a level of competition that’s this high. Outside of him, B-Team Jiu-Jitsu prodigy Dorian Olivarez also stands a good chance of causing some upsets with his relentless pressure and pace.
Men’s Under 77kg
Favorites – This is one of the most impressive divisions ever seen at any ADCC Trials event and picking favorites for this preview of the under 77kg division at the North American East Coast Trials 2023 is almost impossible. It’s pretty wide open but ADCC veteran Jon ‘Thor’ Blank and Nicky Ryan both have a great chance of winning as long as they can put it all together in the moment. Although he doesn’t have as much experience at the same level, Max Hanson has looked unstoppable recently and it’s going to take something special for anyone to stop him.
Dark Horses – Although he’s been focusing on his MMA career, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Kody Steele winning the division. Alongside him, Chris Wojcik is a great competitor who might be able to cause some upsets and John Combs is a veteran that is definitely capable of winning the bracket if things go his way.
Men’s Under 88kg
Favorites – Jacob Rodriguez has a style built to succeed under ADCC rules and he’s able to put a pace on his opponents that few grapplers can keep up with. Elder Cruz has the right kind of physicality to slow Rodriguez down though and dropping back down from 99kg might work wonders for him against the rest of the division. Outside of these two, William Tackett is another elite competitor that could easily see himself standing on top of the podium at 88kg.
Dark Horses – Sebastian Rodriguez has had a tough run lately but he should be able to get past everyone but the very top seeded competitors pretty comfortably. With a little luck of the draw and good decision-making, Rodriguez might be able to win here. Magid Hage and Rene Sousa are both wildly unpredictable and unconventional on the mats, and both of them are capable of catching a few people by surprise.
Men’s Under 99kg
Favorites – Paul Ardila is an absolute machine when it comes to ADCC Trials and he has more experience at them than anyone else in the bracket. He has pretty much the best wrestling in the division and has more recently developed a great leglock game to go along with it as well. It’ll be tough to stop Ardila from winning here, but Devhonte Johnson represents his biggest challenge and the most likely person to win outside of him.
Dark Horses – Don’t let the belt color fool you, Michael Pixley is a fantastic grappler and this might be the moment he breaks through to the highest level. There isn’t much room for surprises in this division, but recent Legion Jiu-Jitsu black belt Breylor Grout also has an outside chance of making his way to the top as well.
Men’s Over 99kg
Favorites – This division at the ADCC North American East Coast Trials 2023 is where the preview gets a little easier. It’s the smallest men’s division, and two men stand out as the most likely winners here. Dan Manasoiu might have come up short in the ADCC European, Middle-Eastern, and African Trials 2023 but he’s still a safe bet to reach the podium here. Alongside Manasoiu, the other heavy favorite that stands out is John Hansen and these two men are the obvious final pairing.
Dark Horses – It’s hard to imagine anybody in the division winning direct matches against Manasoiu and Hansen really, but there is one competitor who might just be capable of doing it. Damon Ramos is a fellow ADCC veteran and although he was submitted by Hansen in less than a minute at the last North American East Coast Trials, he’s still our pick for dark horse in this preview of the 2023 edition.
Women’s Under 55kg
Favorites – With no invites on the line, there aren’t many competitors in any women’s division. There’s still some fun matches ahead though, and Tammi Musumeci is the one to beat at under 55kg. It won’t be easy for her though, as Alex Enriquez has been on fire lately and she’s be coming into this event with a much higher activity level in the last year. She’ll be eager for revenge against Jasmine Rocha too, the final favorite in the division who already holds two wins over Enriquez.
Dark Horses – It’ll be tough for anyone else to beat one or more of the three favorites in order to take home the gold medal here, but Amanda Bruse is no slouch. She’d make a big impact with a win here while Faye Cherrier and Lauren Sears are also coming in with a chance of reaching the podium if they can put together a few good performances.
Women’s Under 65kg
Favorites – There are two clear favorites in the under 65kg division, talented young prospects Helena Crevar and Trinity Pun. What makes this interesting is that they both moved to New Wave Jiu-Jitsu, meaning that they should be matched against one another in the first few rounds. While they are still the most likely champions, other competitors should only have to beat one of them in order to win the division.
Dark Horses – Nicole Mathew has put in some good performances lately and Sofia Delgado is definitely one to watch for the future. It’ll be tough for either of them to beat Crevar or Pun but anything can happen on the day and winning a single exchange with them could be what makes the difference in the end.
Women’s Over 65kg
Favorites – This is the smallest division in this preview of the ADCC North American East Coast Trials 2023, with just 28 women competing in it. Erin Harpe is probably going to be the top seed when the brackets are released and for good reason, as she is the most likely winner. Khadijah Peek has a fair bit of experience under ADCC rules though and Brittney Elkin is always tough to beat, so either of them might end up emerging victorious instead.
Dark Horses – Marissa Pacelli has had some pretty good performances and Bridget McEliece is certainly capable of getting solid results against anyone, so they might be able to cause an upset here. That being said, it’s really going to be an uphill battle for all of the women outside the top competitors.
The full ADCC North American East Coast Trials 2023 event, including every athlete in the above preview, will be available to watch live on October 14th and 15th on FloGrappling.