A rundown of the biggest headlines and news from the world of competitive grappling.
Invites to the 2022 ADCC world championships have been announced slowly but surely since the very first were revealed several months ago. So far there have been a number of small surprises for fans but the biggest one so far has just been announced, as Nicholas Meregali will be competing in the 99kg division. The news has come as a shock to everyone as Meregali has never actually set foot on the ADCC mats in the past.
Meregali has been one of the most impressive competitors at the IBJJF world championships over the last few years though, submitting several top competitors on the way to becoming a two-time IBJJF world champion. It’s an unusual invite for sure, but ADCC is always full of excitement and the added intrigue around the 99kg division has just pushed things to a whole new level.
Saulo Ribeiro becomes latest member of ADCC Hall of Fame
The ADCC hall of fame has been growing exponentially over the last few months and had just reached ten members with the inclusion of Rubens ‘Cobrinha’ Charles. The brains behind the most prestigious no gi grappling tournament on the planet are showing no signs of stopping however as they’ve just announced the latest addition to the inaugural class, Saulo Ribeiro.
Ribeiro is one of the most familiar faces in ADCC history, having competed at seven different editions of the world championships across four different weightclasses and the absolute division. Throughout a decade of ADCC competition, Ribeiro managed to win a total of five medals with his crowning achievements coming in the 88kg division in 2000 and 2003 when he left a world champion.
Three incredible guests at once on the Lex Fridman Podcast
There’s plenty of Jiu-Jitsu podcasts available but it’s still relatively rare that one of the greatest competitors in the history of the sport takes part in a three hour discussion. Even rarer still when he’s accompanied by one of the greatest Jiu-Jitsu coaches and an athlete from another adjacent discipline who can also claim to being one of the greatest in his field too.
That’s what happened on a recent episode of the Lex Fridman Podcast however, when he managed to get Gordon Ryan, John Danaher, and Georges St-Pierre to all appear at the same time. The majority of the episode is centered around competition, training, and mindset, but Ryan does also take the time to explain the rivalry that exists between him and ATOS founder Andre Galvao.
The full episode of the Lex Fridman Podcast can be seen here.
Several elite matchups announced for Polaris 19
There’s not long left until Polaris 19 takes place and the promotion has just started to announce some of the matchups for the event. First up was a fantastic fight between two top-tier female grapplers in IBJJF no gi world champion Kendall Reusing and Amanda Leve, who is fresh off her stunning upset win against Gabi Garcia in the opening round of the WNO Championships.
The winner of the Polaris UK Grand Prix, Frederic Vosgrone, will be returning in order to take on Commonwealth games gold medalist Judoka Owen Livesey in a number one contender’s match. The third and final match announced so far will see Ashley Bendle return after her impressive debut at Polaris 18 in order to face a huge challenge from the more experienced Margot Ciccarelli.
Quick Hits
- Don Frye recently revealed that he never actually trained Jiu-Jitsu during his impressive MMA career, as he just used his Judo and wrestling skills instead.
- Mackenzie Dern has now become the latest UFC star to reach the impressive milestone of 25 consecutive clean drug tests with USADA.
- Top UFC Middleweight Kevin Holland shared footage of him taking on an internet troll and submitting him in under a minute.
- Combat Jiu Jitsu welterweight world champion Kody Steele is about to make his professional MMA debut at Fury FC 56.