In just two weeks, the biggest event on the No Gi calendar touches down somewhere it's never been before. On September 12–13, the ADCC World Championship takes over Tauron Arena in Kraków, Poland, marking the first time in ADCC history the event has been held there, and the first time the tournament has returned to Europe since 2017. If you're in our community, you've probably already got a stream link saved and a bracket printed out. So let's talk about what's actually on the line in Kraków, what it took to get there, and why we've been watching this road unfold a little more closely than usual this year.
What's at stake in Kraków
ADCC only happens every two years, which is part of why it hits differently than a normal tournament weekend. The 2024 gold medalists all earned automatic invites to return and defend their titles, and several are among the most dangerous grapplers on the planet right now. Mica Galvão returns to defend his 77kg title as arguably the most complete competitor of his generation, and Rafaela Guedes comes back to defend +65kg after a dominant 2024 run that's kept her near the top of the women's pound-for-pound conversation ever since. Diogo Reis (66kg), Giancarlo Bodoni (88kg), Kaynan Duarte (99kg), Felipe Pena (+99kg), Adele Fornarino (55kg), and Ana Carolina Vieira (65kg) round out the rest of the returning champions, each walking in with a target on their back instead of a question mark.
Everyone else earned their spot the hard way, through regional trials across North America, South America, Europe/Africa/Middle East, and Asia/Oceania, plus a short list of discretionary invites for competitors ADCC didn't want to leave off the mat. And then there's the storyline nobody can quite pin down yet: Gordon Ryan's participation is still listed as TBA, which alone has kept the group chats busy for weeks.
Two days, six men's divisions from 66kg to absolute, three women's divisions from 55kg to +65kg, and a 22,000-seat arena in a country that's quickly become one of the fastest-growing markets in the sport. It's a big stage, and it's about to get bigger.
The next generation already showed up
Before the pros land in Poland, the future of this sport already had its moment. The second ADCC Youth Championship ran on August 9th, bringing together competitors age 7 to 17 from around the world, and two of our own were right in the middle of it.
Xavier Torres won the Under-17, Under-59.8kg division, adding to a résumé that already includes a Pan Kids title in Florida. Kaya Anderson took the Under-14, Under-81kg division, extending a run that includes three ADCC Advanced Division titles, an IBJJF Gi Pan-American title, and a silver medal at the very first ADCC Youth World Championship back in 2024. Both of them are training like it's their job already: six-plus hours a day between jiu-jitsu, strength and conditioning, wrestling, and Muay Thai isn't unusual in Kaya's routine, and it shows every time they step on the mat.
The standard being set in Kraków this month is the same standard these two are already chasing. Same intensity, same attention to detail, just a few years behind on the timeline. We're proud to have them repping Hyperfly, and we'll be cheering just as loud for their next tournament.
What it actually takes to be ready
Whether you're gearing up for a World Championship or your first local No Gi tournament, the prep underneath it looks more similar than people expect. A few things worth thinking about as ADCC season ramps up:
Gear that keeps up with you. No Gi is unforgiving on equipment: grips, scrambles, and long matches will find every weak seam. This is the exact window to check your rotation of rash guards and spats before fight week sneaks up on you, not during it. Check out our ProComp No Gi gear here.
Recovery is part of training, not separate from it. Athletes competing at Kaya and Xavier's level, and certainly everyone stepping onto the Kraków mats, treat sleep, mobility work, and load management as seriously as technique drilling. The training you can't see is usually the training that matters most in the final weeks before a tournament.
Mindset work compounds. Two-day, multi-match tournaments are as much about composure between matches as they are about the matches themselves. The competitors who look calm in the third round on day two aren't lucky. They've rehearsed being calm long before they got there.
Mark your calendar
ADCC 2026 streams live from Kraków on September 12–13, with FloGrappling holding exclusive coverage. Whether you're watching Mica Galvão defend his title, waiting to see if Gordon Ryan shows up, or just keeping tabs on the next names to watch, this is one of those weekends worth clearing the schedule for. See you on the mats.
