Looking Back At ADCC 2017: The Upsets

Maybe it's the rules in place that force the upset; perhaps it's simply the stakes – in any case, as in past years, the upset played a huge role ADCC 2017.

Sep 26, 2018 by Chase Smith

One of ADCC's greatest legacies is that of the breakout star, the athlete who beats the odds and achieves greatness.

Prime examples that come to mind include Dean Lister's heelhook victory over Rodolfo Vieira, Eddie Bravo's triangle on Royler in 2003– even Marcelo Garcia's performances in the absolute division could be considered a victory for the underdog. Maybe it's the rules in place that force the upset; perhaps it's simply the stakes – in any case, as in past years, the upset played a huge role ADCC 2017. Let's take a list of our favorites now.

Watch Every Match From ADCC 2017

Craig Jones Flyimg Triangles Murilo Santana

‘He couldn’t do it again, could he?’

This was the question on everyone’s mind as Craig Jones stepped on the mats for his second match at ADCC. Just minutes prior, Jones shocked the world with his beautiful submission victory over Leandro Lo, and now he was facing another tough test with one of the all-time greats, Murilo Santana.

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Kaynan Durate Submits ADCC Champ Pablo Popovitch In Opening Round

Kaynan Durate was still a brown belt when he made his debut at ADCC, and the bracketing gods certainly didn’t do him any favors when they matched him up with ADCC golds medalist Pablo Popovitch in the first round.

But Kaynan did more than simply preserve, he excelled in his match with Popovich, submitting the legendary athelte within regulation.

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Hometown-Hero Elvira Karppinen Beats Mackenzie

All eyes were on Mackenzie Dern going into ADCC 2017, she was the returning ADCC Champion, one of the very best grapplers of the modern generation, and someone with a lot to prove after a lackluster performance at Worlds months earlier.

Unfortunately for Mackenzie, Elvira Karppinen wasn’t about to let Mackenzie start her comback tour just yet. The match was a back and forth war, the end result saw the Finnish athlete earn the upset victory in front of the elated hometown crowd.

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Black Belt Newcomer Pablo Montovani Bests Tanquinho

The second Atos team member on the list, Pablo Montovani is another rising star that has already made his mark at ADCC by defeating 2011 ADCC medalist and one of the very best no-gi athletes on the planet, Augusto ‘Tanquinho’ Mendes.