The Top 10 Upsets At ADCC Rio Trials 2026
The Top 10 Upsets At ADCC Rio Trials 2026
The ADCC Rio Trials were one of the most chaotic tournaments of the year - here are the top-10 upsets from this past weekend
ADCC Trials are a perfect setup for crazy results. It's open to anyone from any belt level and the motivation to win and punch your ticket to Worlds is high for anyone. This past weekend in Rio de Janeiro delivered that chaos in abundance. Across multiple divisions, established contenders were stunned, dark horses announced themselves, and brackets were flipped upside down in dramatic fashion.
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From last-second submissions to razor-thin decision wins, the event produced a string of results that will have lasting implications for the road to ADCC. We’re taking a closer look at the ten biggest shocks from the ADCC Rio Trials.
Remember - the second ADCC South American Trials will be going down this Saturday, live from Indaiatuba, Brazil. You can watch all of the action live exclusively on FloGrappling, with the best in the region squaring off for their last chance to qualify for Worlds.
Ana Silva def. Julia Boscher by points 2-0
Ana would go on to take home gold but her toughest match at-65kg was likely her semifinal against former WNO title contender Julia Boscher. Boscher has been a successful black belt for a while so it is certainly a statement for the brown belt to score the takedown and beat Julia - all before turning it up again in the finals and winning gold.
Maria Clara Cardoso def. Maria Ruffatto-Gilpin 6-2
Maria Ruffatto-Gilpin won two trials last season, blazing her way to a pair of golds in as many weekends. That would finally be derailed though by Maria Clara Cardoso, who stopped the world-ranked MRG by points after six tough minutes. MRG would rebound for bronze and Maria Clara Cardoso would take silver, but it was a stunning upset from a big underdog. Look out for a potential rematch this weekend!
Gabriel Brod def. Paul Ardila by decision
This one isn't an 'upset' in the same sense as some of the others listed here, because Brod is already a pretty established black belt - but for Paul Ardila to lose his second match at Trials has to make the list. Paul has been a Trials winning machine for the last few seasons, making his way through to three golds in three attempts. The draw here was brutal, with Paul facing black belt Pan Champ & World medalist Jose Jurema first round before facing 2025 world finalist Brod. Now the pressure is on for his second Trials to show he's still the man here at -88kg.
Vitor Pantoja de Oliveira def. Gustavo Batista by decision
Crazy one here. Batista is a 3-time IBJJF black belt world champion who just went 1-1 at the recent IBJJF absolute GP. Here at Trials, he dropped an early one to Vitor Pantoja de Oliveira of Melqui Galvao. Pantoja, only a purple belt, was able to control the wrestling and used his strong front headlock to get offense off. Even though he didn't win, it was certainly the biggest victory of Pantoja's career to date.
Franco Diaz def. Charles Negromonte by decision
It was a crazy day for Franco Diaz, but no upset on his path was bigger than his second round match. He took on Charles Negromonte, who was in the ADCC world quarters in 2024 and won the South American Trials last season - and made a statement with his decision win. He was more active from every position, showing his guard, top game, and wrestling across the nine minute match. Franco had a crazy road, with wins over Lucas Gualberto, Francisco Lo, Tyrone Gonsalves, and Gabriel Brod to qualify for Poland.
Gabriel Andrade Monteiro def. Alexandre de Jesus by points 2-0
This may have been the biggest upset of the entire event, with world-ranked Robinho falling before the quarters to Melqui purple belt Gabriel Andrade Monteiro. Alexandre, a former Trials champion and a black belt world no-gi champion, was able to consistently get in on single legs but ultimately couldn't finish. It was then Robinho rolling for a back take and ending up on bottom that awarded Monteiro the deciding two points. he advanced and eventually placed third, and Robinho is left needing this final Trials to punch his ticket.
Julio Martins def. Marcelo Fausto by points 2-0
Marcelo Fausto was on a hot run and after the upset loss of Robinho it seemed like he might be the man to beat in Rio. Julio Martins was on a mission though and scored his biggest upset win of his gold medal run by beating Fausto 2-0. Martins would go on to win gold in what may have been the most unexpected run of the day but the biggest key to that was this points win against Fausto.
Martin Abeal def. Jefferson Pontes by submission
It's gone under the radar but Martin Abeal had a great run at South American Trials. The Kingsway-affiliated Argentinian was on an all-submissions run into the finals and the most impressive of those with this overtime inverted triangle against Pontes. Pontes is a former Trials runner up and very tough, so this was a real statement. Abeal made himself a man to watch in Indaiatuba with this win and his overall run through Rio.
Bernardo Albuquerque def. Kaua Gabriel by decision
The Albuquerque brothers both had upstart runs in Rio to top-4 finishes but I would consider this their most impressive win across the two. Bernardo had a spirited match against Kaua Gabriel, who was a Trials runner up at both South American tournaments last season. It was a razor close decision but the judges ultimately favored Bernardo's initiations and awarded him the victory.
Diego Ortiz def. Felipe Machado by submission
Diego Ortiz really stood out after the Rio Trials, in large part thanks to his surprising win over Felipe Machado. Machado is a really experienced no-gi grappler who is ranked top-5 at 135lbs, but his trip up to -66kg was ill-fated here. Diego, who trains under Jason Rau at Vanguard in New York, was able to snatch a devastating ankle lock for the win here.
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