The minds behind the 2022 ADCC world championships are really pulling out all the stops as the latest surprise invite is revealed as none other than UFC veteran Ryan Hall. Hall is a familiar face on the ADCC mats as the elite leglocker has made two previous appearances at the world championships and even came away with a bronze medal all the way back in 2009. This will actually make him the most experienced competitor in the 66kg division this year as the bracket will be stacked with exciting young talent.
While the news might surprise some, ADCC head organizer Mo Jassim has been courting Ryan Hall for a little while now and seemed confident that he would be competing. Up until now, Hall has been focused on his burgeoning MMA career and he has taken a back seat when it comes to professional grappling as a result. He previously revealed that he plans to continue fighting in MMA in to his 40s, so he’ll still have plenty of time to go back to developing his striking game after making a run at ADCC glory.
Hall’s attendance at ADCC 2022 will present an interesting situation too, as he had a recent spat with both Gordon Ryan and Garry Tonon on social media. It all started when Garry Tonon suffered a brutal first-round knockout loss to Hall’s training partner Thanh Le, and the pair took issue with Hall’s statement after the fight. While none of them will be competing in the same weightclass, there’s a chance that Hall and Tonon might end up sharing the mats if both men choose to enter the absolute division.
The news of Ryan Hall competing in the 66kg division at the 2022 ADCC world championships was announced in a post to the promotion’s official Instagram account:
