Written in 2022
The art of BJJ has as many championships as it does competitors. But the only title that truly matters is making it to the ADCC. You can win a world championship in the IBJJF, EBI, or any other belt from the alphabet soup—but any grappler who’s ever stepped on a mat will tell you that just qualifying for the ADCC puts you in a unique class.
I’ve spent the better part of a decade trying to make it there. I took 3rd in 2015 in Miami, made it to the quarterfinals in Anaheim in 2017, again in New Jersey in 2019, and had a few less-than-stellar performances sprinkled throughout. Altogether, I’ve competed in five Trials and had 18 matches under their rigid ruleset.
During that time, the sport grew to heights unimaginable. I was a contributing writer at several online sites and hosted a few podcasts while also staying active on the competition circuit. To say I was living the Jiu-Jitsu lifestyle would be an understatement. My days were spent teaching private lessons, writing articles, or preparing for a superfight—between bartending shifts at the dive bar downtown.
I watched Metamoris shows on shady copy-paste links, starring Eddie Bravo, Renzo Gracie, Josh Barnett, and Jeff Glover. I also competed on Sapaterios in Sarasota with acne-faced teens named Gary Tonon, Gordon Ryan, and Craig Jones—back when the DDS was still just a yet-to-be-developed acronym in John Danaher’s frontal cortex.
Then came EBI, Kasai, 3rd Coast Grappling, Polaris, Fight 2 Win, and many others. A host of fractured professional organizations emerged, each trying to harness BJJ’s newfound momentum in their own way. Grappling was destined to become a spectator sport, and everyone wanted to lead the charge.
But none of them truly hit the mark. A mixture of conflicting rulesets, unsatisfying matches, and stagnant presentations killed the interest of even die-hard fans. There was no way civilians were tuning in to watch—a point Mo Jassim, Head Organizer of the ADCC, made in a recent interview.
When asked about professional grappling’s future, Mo’s answer paid homage to its pioneers but emphasized the ADCC’s longtime mission to legitimize grappling as a spectator sport.
“The sport needs to be accessible to everyday people and not just people that do Jiu-Jitsu,” Jassim said. “I believe the ADCC has the best ruleset to provide that attraction. But exciting matches are only part of the problem. The production value needs to be on point too.”
And Jassim walks the walk. He recruited two all-star professional grappling promoters: Seth Daniels, owner and operator of Fight 2 Win, and Shawn Fowler, the man behind 5 Grappling, to help make the 2022 West Coast Trials the most exciting event the grappling world had seen yet.
Mo also maintains that the ADCC was designed to bring grappling recognition from the very beginning.
The first ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship was held in 1998 in Abu Dhabi at the venue created specifically for the event—later becoming its namesake.
“Most people don’t even realize that the ADCC is named after the building the first event was held in: The Abu Dhabi Combat Club,” Mo explained.
But the star power of those early shows wasn’t enough to break into the mainstream. It wasn’t until the 2019 ADCC World Championships in California, with the inclusion of Seth Daniels, that Sheikh Tahnoun’s vision began to come to life.
“Seth has been amazing. His work ethic and loyalty are unmatched,” Mo said when asked about including the often-brash Daniels. “Seth is the best.”
The “Trials” are the qualifiers for the ADCC World Championship. They occur every two years in different geographic regions like Asia, Europe, Brazil, and two in North America. Until recently, they were very utilitarian events. The grappling was next level, but the venues were usually small—think local gyms or high school auditoriums.
But this year, over a thousand competitors showed up to battle for a ticket back to Vegas for the finals. It was the culmination of a 25-year struggle to give professional grappling credibility as a legitimate sporting event.
The 2022 West Coast Trials, held at the historic Westgate Resort, were electrifying from start to finish. Walking around the hotel meant brushing shoulders with Craig Jones in the buffet line or seeing Gordon Ryan mat-side in his finest Austin cowboy attire, complete with belt buckle and five-gallon hat.
Day two of the tournament was one of the most refined combat sporting events I’ve ever witnessed. Drama hovered over every ring as favorites fell, and journeymen I’ve watched grind for years made deep runs toward the finals.
PJ Barch took a controversial loss in the semifinals, finishing 3rd. William Tackett and Keith Krikorian closed out their respective divisions. And Jayrod stole the show with a buggy choke submission over Hunter Colvin, following in his brother’s footsteps by winning Trials as a blue belt.
The production value of the semifinals and finals was everything you’d expect from a collaboration between the finest minds in professional grappling.
But Mo says the best is still yet to come.
“This year’s West Coast Trials is just a warm-up. Our new venue is a massive arena with 13,000 seats. In 2019, we sold 4,000 seats total. We sold 7,000 on the first day of ticket sales for 2022,” Jassim said.
Competing in the Trials this year didn’t go my way. At 45, I think I’ve finally realized the sport has moved past me. But there’s no shame in that awakening. The level of grappling I witnessed makes me proud that I was somehow a small part of helping it get there—even if it was just as a bystander.
For years, I struggled with a nagging feeling that often accompanied my coverage of events or writing articles about low-quality grappling shows… or competing on regional cards I was embarrassed to be seen at—for gas money. And I know there are others out there who felt the same way.
But I’m here to tell you it was worth it.
The dream is upon us. And Mo Jassim has shown us the promised land.
The 2022 West Coast Trials gave us instant validation—because it was that spectacular.
So, speaking for all the BJJ lovers out there toiling in the trenches, trying to make the most of professional grappling’s often frustrating character arc…
Thank you, Mo.
You made us believe it was worth it—this year in Las Vegas, and for whatever the future holds with you behind the wheel.
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