The final three invites for the under 99kg division at ADCC 2024 have now been announced, and the full lineup of 16 elite competitors is complete. This last batch of invites has been an interesting mixture, with one returning medalist and a pair of exciting grapplers who are set to make their ADCC debut. Whether they’ve got experience competing on the biggest stage in the no gi grappling world or not, all three of them are veteran competitors regardless. The full lineup will feature plenty of exciting potential matchups and these three are set to be tough opponents for anyone else in the bracket.
The first of the final three men invited to the under 99kg division at ADCC 2024 is Nicholas Meregali, as he looks to improve on his performance from last time. ADCC 2022 was actually his first major no gi tournament after spending a lifetime as a gi specialist and he was an immediate success, winning a bronze medal at under 99kg. Going 3-1 at his first major event would have been a fantastic achievement but Meregali wasn’t content to stop there, and he went 3-1 in the absolute division to win a silver medal there too. The only man who beat him at this weight class is not returning this year, so Meregali will be one of the top contenders to take home the title.
Elioenai Braz was also given one of the invites to compete at under 99kg at ADCC 2024 and he actually came very close to winning an invite on his own. He competed at the first ADCC South American Trials earlier this year and made it to the final despite some elite opposition, leaving with a silver medal in the end. The second edition of that tournament took place just one week later and he was equally impressive, winning yet another silver medal in a tough division. After narrowly missing out on winning an invite twice this year, Braz has now received one regardless and he’ll be eager to get revenge on the two men who beat him in the final matches at ADCC Trials.
The final man to get the call-up to the under 99kg division is Alex Grandy and it’s an opportunity that he’s been working towards for quite some time. He won a pair of bronze medals at the ADCC Trials set up for ADCC 2022 and was made the official alternate for the under 99kg division back then. Everyone in the division made weight so he wasn’t needed back then and he set about winning an invite again, coming away with a silver medal at the East Coast Trials in 2023. He’s already proven that he can compete with the best in the world and it’ll be interesting to see just how far he can go now that he’s got a chance at ADCC glory.
The final three invites to the under 99kg division at ADCC 2024 were announced in a series of posts to the promotion’s official Instagram account: