The Women's ADCC -65kg Division Is Complete: Who's The Favorite For Gold

The first 8 women to compete in the -65kg division at ADCC Worlds are set. With stars like Brianna Ste-Marie and Bea Mesquita, who's the favorite for gold?

May 22, 2024 by Joe Gilpin

The Women's ADCC -65kg Division Is Complete: Who's The Favorite For Gold

The ADCC World Championships are approaching fast, and the -65kg women's division is now complete with 8 standout grapplers who will vye for gold in this new weight class. With division expanding from 2 to 3 and the addition of an absolute, this stands to be the biggest ADCC ever for the women athletes.

The -65kg division at ADCC, as it stands currently, will be:

Bea Mesquita (Invited, Returning Medalist) | Brazil
Brianna Ste-Marie (Invited, Returning Medalist) | Canada
Aurelie Le Vern (European Trials winner) | French Guiana
Ana Carolina Vieira (South American Trials winner) | Brazil
Helena Crevar (West Coast Trials winner) | United States
Sula-Mae Loewenthal (Asia & Oceania Trials winner) | Australia
Amanda Leve (Invited) | United States
Mo Black (Invited) | United States

Between these 8, who will stand to be the favorite? In terms of seeding, the 1-seed will likely be Bea Mesquita, as the only former ADCC World Champion in the mix (having earned gold in 2017). Brianna Ste-Marie did take second in the -60 division that Bea took third in, but considering they both lost to Ffion Davies that isn't as impactful a metric.

BSM will however likely be the betting favorite coming in, thanks to her consistent performances at the elite level since the last ADCC where she won silver. Bea has been more focused on her MMA career while BSM has been all in on being the best grappler, and that will confer at least some advantage come August.

The biggest question mark for those two top contenders will be either Helena Crevar or Amanda Leve - who, as teammates at New Wave, must face off in the first round. Helena is a relentless submission fighter, with finishes coming from tons of positions as this teen star continues to rise the ranks. Amanda is an older, more experienced wrestler who thrives under ADCC rules. Whoever emerges from that match the winner will be a contender for gold.

The biggest remaining dark horse contender would likely be Ana Carolina Vieira, who has a long history of success against the elite. She went all submissions at the South American Trials to earn her spot here and brings a tough wrestling game and positional dominance that will be tough to crack.