The road to the world’s toughest grappling tournament continues this weekend as the ADCC South American Trials arrives in Rio de Janeiro, where hundreds of athletes will compete for one of the most coveted prizes in submission grappling: a spot at the ADCC World Championship.

South America has long been one of the deepest talent pools in the sport, producing generations of ADCC champions and medalists. That tradition continues at the Trials, where massive brackets and unforgiving formats make the path to qualification brutally difficult. With only one winner per division earning a golden ticket, every match matters - and even established contenders must survive a gauntlet of hungry up-and-comers determined to break through.

This year’s event promises another stacked field in Rio de Janeiro, with elite black belts, rising prospects, and seasoned ADCC veterans all chasing the same goal. Before the action begins, here’s a look at some of the biggest names heading into the ADCC South American Trials, streaming live this weekend on FloGrappling.

-66kg

The Favorite

• Kauã Gabriel

Contenders

• Lucas Canto
• Joshua Flores
• Felipe Nacib
• Victor Delibero
• Felipe Machado
• Fabian Ramirez

Kaua Gabriel is the lone ADCC veteran in the field, having competed at the 2024 Worlds after a wildcard invitation. He has been in multiple Trials finals but has never been able to win. The biggest storyline here is seeing if the Melqui Galvão protege can get over that hump and punch his ticket. In his way will be a large field of young and hungry contenders, including a FloGrappling prospect of the month Joshua Flores. The Delibero & Nacib brothers also add depth here. Felipe Machado has his best results down at 135lbs but he's still very dangerous at 145lbs - his biggest challenge will be the wrestling.

-77kg

The Favorite

• Alexandre Robinho

Contenders

• Arley Pacheco
• Ernesto Rivera
• Felipe Porto
• Jefferson Pontes
• Heitor José
• Alessandro 'Horse' Botelho

ADCC Trials Champion & IBJJF World No-Gi Champion Alexandre 'Robinho' de Jesus enters this tournament as a healthy favorite. The Luta Livre specialist is powerful, quick, tactical, and tough. He won this tournament in 2024 but then lost to 2-time World Champion JT Torres in Vegas. Now he recommits to the ADCC season with his eyes set on the podium in Poland. In his way is a very solid class of contenders, including the always dynamic Ernesto Rivera. He's first team all-scrapper and really thrives in these ADCC rules - especially once it starts getting deeper in the day. Horse Botelho just made the podium for IBJJF No-Gi Worlds and has the physical power to match or overwhelm anyone. Dark horse potential for Felipe Porto, who has been slowly but surely gaining good experience and could go deep here.

-88kg

The Favorite

• Paul Ardila

Contenders

• Gabriel Brod
• Joao Zeferino
• Francisco Lo
• Gabriel Costa
• Enrico Said
• Charles Negromonte
• Lucas Gualberto
• Rafael Paganini
• Gustavo Batista
• Jose Jurema

This is easily the deepest weight at these Trials and the toughest to narrow down to a single favorite. I went with Paul Ardila because of his track record of domination at Trials, with three golds in the last three seasons. Paul originally drew attention for his leg locking but now he's well rounded enough to take matches anywhere and do well. A few other guys who are high on the list here are IBJJF World Champion Gustavo Batista, world-ranked middleweight Francisco Lo, and ADCC Trials Champion Charles Negromonte. Negromonte won the South American Trials last season and given the momentum of his Los Banditos club, he figures to be a major factor in the bracket in Rio. Enrico Said is a really good submission hunter and I really like this bracket for him - he's right on the edge of a breakout performance and there are plenty of notable scalps to take home in the field. Gabriel Brod, Rafael Paganini, and Jose Jurema are three guys who seem to always be improving as well and will be a tough match for anyone here.

-99kg

The Favorite

• Eli Braz

Contenders

• Ramiro Leon
• Rafael Trabuco
• Nata Tenca
• Fellipe Trovo

Eli Braz is another guy who stands as the favorite to win and is already an ADCC Worlds veteran - but is still seeking his first Trials championship after a close runner-up finish last season. He was able to secure an invite anyway and now he comes back to Rio to officially punch his own ticket. He's a physical, aggressive grappler who has been racking up wins on the world stage. In his way are guys like IBJJF No-Gi World champion Fellipe Trovo and standout Atos brown belt Nata Tença. Tença especially seems dangerous in this bracket, with a strong leg lock game and crushing power.

+99kg

The Favorite

• Roosevelt Sousa

Contenders

• Yatan Bueno
• Pedro Lucas
• Daniel Silva
• Antonio Assef

Roosevelt Sousa is the highest world ranked grappler in the field, with his double gold performance at IBJJF No-Gi Worlds pushing him into the top-5 globally. He's had a remarkable run, winning titles in gi & no-gi and he already has an ADCC World medal to his credit from 2022. Look out for the octopus guard! It will be no easy path though, especially with Yatan Bueno in the mix. He's committed himself fully to no-gi and under the direction of Melqui Galvão he has been scoring some very impressive top-10 wins. Also in the mix is 

-55kg

The Favorite

• Izabel Seki

Contenders

• Lais Abreu Lima
• Bianca Giannini

There's no ticket available at these Trials for the women's divisions but they'll still hold the tournament. It's only about ten women but I'd favor Izabel Seki to win things. The black belt has been facing tough competition and improving steadily, against this field she can build some momentum for next weekend.

-65kg

The Favorite

• Julia Boscher

Contenders

• Ana Silva
• Natalia Colaco Maguerroski
• Julia Kalliane
• Antonella Massaro
• Mariah Barbosa

There's no ticket available at these Trials for the women's divisions but they'll still hold the tournament. Julia Boscher is fresh off of challenging for a WNO Championship against Helena Crevar and was able to exceed the expectations many had for her. This could be a really good showcase for her, though there will certainly be some scraps along the way.

+65kg

The Favorite

• Maria Ruffatto-Gilpin

Contenders

• Ingridd Alves
• Suelen Sousa
• Lauren Fritzen

There's no ticket available at these Trials for the women's divisions but they'll still hold the tournament. Maria Ruffatto-Gilpin was one of the Trials MVP's last season, impressing everyone with her wins at both ADCC South American Trials. Now she's back with more experience and I think we're likely to see the best version yet. The bracket here will be pretty tough with Ingridd Alves also in the mix. She's proven herself to be world class in the gi and now under the tutelage of Melqui Galvão she is jumping into the ADCC scene.