2024 ADCC European, Middle East and African Trial

Previewing The Second ADCC European Trials

Get the full rundown on every division before this weekend's ADCC Europe, Middle East, & African Trials

Feb 13, 2024 by Joe Gilpin

Previewing The Second ADCC European Trials

The ADCC World Championships are coming up quick and the ADCC Trials will return this Saturday, as the 2nd European Trials kicks off in Zagreb, Croatia. This is the last chance for many of these grapplers to qualify for the biggest grappling tournament on Earth, so expect the athletes to give it their all for their chance at glory.

This will also be the first Trials to offer qualifications spots for the women's divisions, which have changed this year to -55kg, -65kg, and +65kg.

The action will begin this Saturday, at 3am ET/2am CT, exclusively on FloGrappling. WATCH LIVE HERE.

Men's -66kg

Last time around, there was a list of established contenders coming into Euro trials at -66 but it was young colored belts Owen Jones & Cam Donnelly making the finals with upset performances. Now, many of those established names are back - and a strong class of contenders who are aiming for their own Owen Jones-style run. The favorite coming in will be world-ranked Ash Williams, and ADCC veteran Sam McNally. Also contending will be wrestling expert Gairbek Ibragimov (who has a win over Fabricio Andrey), brown belt World Champion Yigit Hanay, former Trials finalist Cam Donnelly, and more.

Prediction

1. Ash Williams 2. Gairbek Ibragimov 3. Yigit Hanay

Men's -77kg

All the contenders are back in this super-deep -77kg division, headlined by black belt no-gi world champion and ADCC veteran Tommy Langaker. Also in the field will be two more ADCC veterans, Oliver Taza and Mateusz Szczecinski, and all three grapplers are more than capable of winning this bracket on the right day. Looking to shake things up will be Norway's Tarik Hopstock, famous for his Tarikoplata, and Davis Asare, a purple belt world champion and New Wave athlete.

Prediction

1. Tommy Langaker 2. Mateusz Szczecinski 3. Oliver Taza

Men's -88kg

Last time it was Santeri Lillius winning another Trials here at -88kg, with his toughest match coming in the semifinal against Chris Wojcik. Wojcik has medaled at North American and European Trials, but is still seeking his first gold medal and ADCC berth. In the field will be Adam Wardzinski, a former Trials champion and top-ten ranked grappler who is fresh off of an IBJJF Euros Championships. Adding depth will be young potential champions like Pawel Jaworski, Vegard Randeburg, Mateusz Mazur, and more.

Prediction

1. Adam Wardzinski 2. Chris Wojcik 3. Vegard Randeburg

Men's -99kg

This is a division that lacks a clear favorite, but does have some interesting names in it. Former Trials champions Perttu Tepponen and Mraz Avdoyan will both be vying for another shot at ADCC Worlds, but I think the one to watch will be brown belt world champion from Poland Marcin Maciulewicz.

Prediction

1. Marcin Maciulewicz 2. Perttu Tepponen 3. Mraz Avdoyan

Men's +99kg

The most interesting story at +99kg is the entry of submission specialist Jed Hue, who usually competes at -77kg. He has had close matches with grapplers like Jay Rodriguez before and has shown some flashes of greater skill but hasn't had that one breakthrough performance yet. Beyond him, this field does lack a lot of proven names. Can the smaller, slicker grappler overcome the bigger opposition? It'll be a key development to watch for the division.

Prediction

1. Jed Hue 2. Frederic Vosgroene 3. Oskar Svels

Women's -55kg

This weight has a solid mix of known names and up-and-coming talent, headlined by AOJ star Margot Ciccarelli and ADCC veteran Julia Maele. The darkhorse of this division looks to be Cara Du Plessis of South Africa, who did well at the first Trials when a spot wasn't on the line. A lot of colored belts and young athletes add depth here, and one could break through, like Josefine Modig, Martina Zola, Ashley Bendle, Janette Gloger, and Ana Mayordomo.

Prediction

1. Margot Ciccarelli 2. Julia Maele 3. Cara Du Plessis

Women's -65kg

This weight is one of my favorite divisions in the tournament because of the caliber of athletes in the top-end and how they fight in an exciting way that promises some great action. Coming in, eyes will be on Six Blades's Aurelie La Vern, former Trials champ Ane Svendsen, brown belt double gold medalist Nadia Frankland, and Irish rookie black belt Rosa Walsh. Any of them can win the tournament, and whoever wins it will have had to go through some serious opposition.

Prediction

1. Aurelie La Vern 2. Nadia Frankland 3. Rosa Walsh

Women's +65kg

Maria Malyjasiak is one of jiu-jitsu's most under-appreciated athletes and she may get a chance to shine here that puts her on more people's radars. She fights hard, fights everywhere, and will be the favorite coming in for this bracket. In the way will be NIa Blackman, CheckMat product who won brown belt worlds, New Wave's Hannah Griffith who brings a leg locking threat the rest of the division may not have, and Salla Simola, who medaled at black belt no-gi worlds.

Prediction

1. Maria Malyjasiak 2. Nia Blackman 3. Hannah Griffith

Both events are streaming live on FloGrappling and the FloSports app. Match replays and highlights will also be available on both platforms.