The opening round of the 2026 ADCC World Championships delivered everything fans expect from the sport's biggest stage.
Veterans were upset, rising stars announced themselves and several contenders strengthened their cases for a run to gold as the quarterfinals took shape Saturday in Krakow, Poland.
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Here are some of the biggest breakout performances from the Round of 16.
Ryoma Anraku Shocks No. 2 Seed Owen Jones
The biggest upset of the morning belonged to Japan's Ryoma Anraku.
Matched against No. 2 seed Owen Jones in the -66kg division, Anraku battled through a scoreless regulation period and overtime before earning the decision victory.
Jones entered the tournament as one of the favorites to reach the podium. Instead, Anraku moves on to the quarterfinals after one of the most surprising results of the opening session.
Jacob Bornemann Continues His Rise
Jacob Bornemann arrived in Krakow as an ADCC rookie. He left the Round of 16 as one of the tournament's breakout stars.
The Pedigo Submission Fighting representative defeated ADCC veteran Oliver Taza in one of the most anticipated first-round matchups at -77kg. After a back-and-forth start, Bornemann's pace and pressure began to take over, leading to a late guard pass that secured the win.
Bornemann will now face teammate Dante Leon in the quarterfinals.
Nathan Haddad Knocks Off Gustavo Batista
North American Trials winner Nathan Haddad earned one of the most significant victories of his career by defeating Gustavo Batista at -88kg.
Batista entered the tournament as one of the division's most accomplished competitors, but Haddad continued the trend of ADCC newcomers upsetting established veterans.
The victory moved Haddad into the quarterfinals and further highlighted the strength of the latest generation of ADCC qualifiers.
Lucas Kanard And Gabriel Brod Deliver For The Newcomers
The -88kg division was full of surprises.
Australia's Lucas Kanard defeated ADCC veteran Matheus Diniz, while Gabriel Brod advanced past Jon "Thor" Blank.
Both competitors entered the tournament with less ADCC experience than their opponents, but each delivered composed performances against proven veterans to reach the quarterfinals.
Their victories ensured fresh faces would remain in the title conversation entering the second half of the day.
Pawel Jaworski Gives Poland A Moment To Celebrate
Few moments generated a bigger reaction from the Krakow crowd than Pawel Jaworski's submission victory over Roberto Dib Frias.
Competing in front of a home audience, the Polish standout secured an ankle lock finish in his ADCC debut and advanced to the quarterfinals.
With several Polish athletes competing throughout the weekend, Jaworski provided one of the host nation's signature moments of the opening round.
Achilles Rocha Makes A Statement
While not technically an upset, Achilles Rocha victory over Declan Moody turned heads throughout the arena.
Many viewed Moody as a legitimate contender in the -99kg division, but Rocha controlled the latter stages of the match and pulled away on the scoreboard for a dominant win.
The performance immediately established Rocha as a serious threat to make a deep run in one of the tournament's toughest brackets.
Quarterfinals Await
The Round of 16 produced highlight-reel submissions, dramatic overtime battles and several bracket-shaking results.
With the quarterfinals now set across all eight divisions, the race for ADCC gold is only getting started.
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Watch the 2026 ADCC World Championships live on FloGrappling on Sept. 12-13. Action starts at 5 a.m. ET and carries on throughout the weekend.
Additionally, watch full replays of submissions and key moments from the tournament throughout the weekend on FloGrappling.
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