SEPTEMBER 30, 2019, ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, USA was the perfect set-up for the most memorable ADCC event in the history of the tournament. As we had mentioned on our day 1 Recap, “finally, we have a set up that can match the scale of significance this tournament has in the grappling world”. After paying our due respect to the promotors, we assess the tournament itself, one that was not shy on upsets – as it is common under the ADCC ruleset.
From the “disruptors” side we have 3 nationalities not often seen on this virtual board: Welsh, Australian and Canadian, namely Ffion Davies, Lachlan Giles, and Dante Leon. All three caused major upsets in their respective divisions (Giles in the absolute) beating favorites and making history for the 2019 ADCC, as did the New Jersey wrestler and John Danaher‘s new protege – Nick Rodriguez who placed 2nd in the ultra-heavyweight division with some very high profile wins on his record.
From the “establishment” production line, Gordon Ryan doubled down on his claim of being one of “the best to ever do it” with a dominant double gold performance. It is almost a shame to see him compete in the super-fight in 2021 as this tournament will be considerably diminished without his presence. One of the best performances in Gordon’s career. A pleasure to watch as a fan.
Also on this list, JT Torres continues to age like a bottle of good Port wine, smoother than ever. Beautiful performance where he did not concede one single point or penalty. In fact, we don’t think he was in danger in any of his matches. Equally strong were the performances of Bianca Basilio, Augusto Mendes and Matheus Diniz, but more on that below.
ADCC 2019 RESULTS
Date: 28-29 September
Location: Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California
66KG DIVISION
Stylistically speaking, Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes had all the ingredients to conquer one of the few titles that were still missing from his illustrious career, and yesterday it was finally his day, making the most of his technical abilities and his experience, considering he had the most ADCC mileage. Although impressive, Mendes was not the only one to come out of this tournament with big-name recognition as 16-year-old, Tye Ruotolo looked absolutely incredible out there, nearly pulling the upset against Maciel and Miyao. The sky is the limit for this young prodigy.
Semi-Finals:
– Augusto Mendes def. Paulo Miyao by decision (0x0)
– Kennedy Maciel def. Tye Ruotolo by RNC
Final:
– Augusto Mendes def. Kennedy Maciel by 3×0
3rd Place:
– Paulo Miyao def. Tye Ruotolo by 4×0, 2×0 penalties
77KG DIVISION
Much like the aforementioned “Tanquinho”, Torres had the perfect style for this ruleset, which he proved once again. A flawless tournament for the Atos team captain, who did not suffer a single point or penalty throughout the tournament. The 77-kilogram weight class had plenty of upsets and brilliant performances, one we would like to stand out would be that of Garry Tonon who was, arguably, the most entertaining athlete of the tournament. Quick, forward-moving and submission oriented were the attributes that granted the flamboyant athlete his bronze medal.
Semi-Finals:
– JT Torres def. Garry Tonon by 2×0
– Vagner Rocha def. Dante Leon by decision (0x0)
Final:
– JT Torres def. Vagner Rocha by 3×0
3rd Place:
– Garry Tonon def. Dante Leon by outside heel-hook
88KG DIVISION
This division had 3 front runners, and indeed they went “head-to-head” until the end. We are referencing Matheus Diniz, Craig Jones, and Josh Hinger, all 3 coming out of the tournament with medals. In the style clash department, Diniz had everything to pull this through, and indeed he did, making better use of his athleticism, timing, and game-planing. A perfect weekend for the Marcelo Garcia prodigy.
A honorable mention to Jon Blank, also, who beat two very worthy opponents in the early rounds, namely Rustam Chsiev and Murilo Santana before meting Craig Jones in the semi-finals.
Semi-Finals:
– Craig Jones def. Jon Blank by 3×0
– Matheus Diniz def. Josh Hinger by 3×0
Finals:
– Matheus Diniz def. Craig Jones by 2×0
3rd Place:
– Josh Hinger def. Jon Blank by 3×0
99KG DIVISION
There were no doubts that Gordon Ryan was the man to beat at the ADCC, and he proved exactly why by taking out nearly everyone by submission. A major feather in Ryan’s cap could be how far the stigma of his prowess affects his opponents when competing against him, as very few tried to beat the Renzo Gracie Academy representative with a “my skill vs your skill” approach. Nearly everyone played an evasive game, staying away from Ryan’s jiu-jitsu, back-pedaling for extended periods of time and hoping to somehow use the rules or hail-Mary’s to beat the New Jersey athlete, none of which worked. Gordon had more than enough to run through the division with more ease than he had in 2017.
Semi-Finals:
– Gordon Ryan def. Lucas Barbosa by 3×0
– Vinicius Ferreira def. Vinny Magalhães by 2×0
Finals:
– Gordon Ryan def. Vinicius Ferreira by RNC
3rd Place:
– No match due to Vinny’s injury in semi-final.
+99KG DIVISION
The star of the event was undoubtedly Kaynan Duarte. With the composure of a veteran, this 21-year-old ran through the division, even giving up 15 and 20 kg (44 lbs) to his opponents (Duarte is traditionally a 94-kilogram competitor). Another big name to keep an eye on in the future was blue belt phenom Nick Rodriguez. Although he did not submit nor score one single point throughout the tournament, “Nicky Rod” squeezed past a few seasoned veterans such as 2013s open weight champion, Roberto Abreu, 2015 ADCC ultra-heavy champ Orlando Sanchez and the IBJJF 2018 World Champion Mahamed Aly by decision.
Semi-Finals:
– Nick Rodriguez def. Roberto Cyborg by decision (0x0)
– Kaynan Duarte def. Marcus Almeida by decision (0x0)
Final:
– Kaynan Duarte def. Nick Rodriguez by 3×0
3rd Place:
– In protest to the judges’ decision semi-final loss, Cyborg refused to compete for the bronze medal.
ABSOLUTE
Of course, the man of the hour here is Gordon Ryan, who solidified his legacy as one of the best nogi grapplers of all time with the double ADCC gold, however, a lightweight Australian competitor stole a lot of Ryan’s thunder yesterday, his name is Lachlan Giles, head coach of Absolute MMA. Flawlessly using variations of the keylock-guard to move under his larger opponents, Lachlan went through a range of upsets, submitting in all his wins, beating some of the biggest names in the sport. Truly impressive, if you wish to follow Lachlan Giles’ career and grappling record by clicking here.
Round 1:
– Marcus Almeida def. Keith Kirkorian by armbar
– Tex Johnson def. Jon Blank by Straight ankle lock
– Mahamed Aly def. Jon Hansen by Outside heel hook
– Gordon Ryan def. Pedro Marinho by Outside heel hook
– Tim Spriggs def. Jared Dopp by guillotine
– Lachlan Giles def. Kaynan Duarte by Inside heel hook
– Garry Tonon def. Edwin Najmi by Inside heel hook
– Patrick Gaudio def. Michael Perez by 2×0
1/4 Finals:
– Marcus Almeida def. Tex Johnson by 3×0
– Mahamed Aly def. Tim Spriggs by 0x0, 0x1 penalty
– Gordon Ryan def. Garry Tonon by RNC
– Lachlan Giles def. Patrick Gaudio by Inside heel hook
Semi-Finals:
– Marcus Almeida def. Mahamed Aly by RNC
– Gordon Ryan def. Lachlan Giles by RNC
3rd Place:
– Lachlan Giles def. Mahamed Aly by inside heel-hook
Finals:
– Gordon Ryan def. Marcus Almeida by 0x0, 0x1 penalty
60KG DIVISION
Wow, this division was absolute fire, arguably the most entertaining of the whole event much thanks to this incredible line-up of grappling “killers”. The under 60-kilogram division also featured one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, that of black belt Welsh newcomer Ffion Davies win over one of the most accomplished female athletes of all time, Beatriz Mesquita. Not only this, but Davies submitted Mesquita, breaking the former champ’s arm in the process.
Also on fire was Bianca Basilio, who ended up taking gold with incredible performances herself, including a nasty, nasty toe-hold on Davies that looked like it may have caused injury to the runner-up athlete. Very impressive.
Semi-Finals:
– Bianca Basilio def. Elvira Karpinnen by 2×0
– Ffion Davies def. Bia Mesquita by armbar
Final:
– Bianca Basilio def. Ffion Davies by toe hold
3rd Place:
– Mesquita broke had her arm broken in the semi-final and could not compete for bronze.
+60KG DIVISION
Garcia will go down in history as the most accomplished female athlete of all time. Although her style is not particularly pleasing to the crowd her sheer physicality get her through most of the way, with her technique doing the rest of the job. Gabi’s first two matches were hard to watch, but her final made up for it, a well-timed kimura lock over Carina Santi. Carina was indeed the big surprise of the division, by beating two of the bracket’s favorites, namely Tayane Porfirio and Nathiely de Jesus.
Semi-Finals:
– Gabrielle Garcia def. Ana Carolina Vieira by decision (0x0)
– Carina Santi def. Tayane Porfirio by decision (0x0)
Final:
– Gabrielle Garcia def. Carina Santi by kimura lock
3rd Place:
– Tayane Porfirio def. Ana Carolina Vieira by 5×0
