COMBAT SPORTS
Who’s Number One 23, the 2nd Asia and Oceania Trials
_{What it all means to ADCC 2024: The Least You Should Know}

Here’s the gist of what you might have missed over the weekend.

Who’s Number One 23 Results

Main Card

Nicholas Meregali vs Vagner Rocha. Meregali wins by armbar. 

Given the difference in size, weight, and age between Meregali and Rocha, there was hardly a question of whether Meregali would win, more a question of when and how (and why do we keep seeing poorly constructed match-ups that have little effect of the landscape at large).

Props to Rocha for taking the fight and demonstrating some cojones in the pre-fight smack talk–which made for a more entertaining headlining match.

It’ll be nice to see Meregali pick on someone his own size at ADCC, though based on the current roster, he will blaze through the division and remain untouchable. If BJJ Heroes is accurate, Meregali hasn’t lost a match since last ADCC (by decision to Craig Jones and by penalty to Yuri Simoes), hasn’t been scored on since the 2022 IBJJF World Championships (in the finals, by Erich Munis) and hasn’t been subbed in his entire black belt career.

He beat Lovato Jr. with only a few months of no gi training, beat Cyborg on UFC Fight Pass only a few months ago, and given the current roster of Trials winners and invitees, there is reason to believe that Meregali can out-technique anyone in the division. With the possible exception of Kaynan Duarte, reigning champ of -99kg, Meregali is the favorite and one to beat in the division, and given Meregali’s submission win over Kaynan on WNO 19, he has every reason to be confident heading into ADCC. The only way anyone is beating Meregali at ADCC is by decision or by an upset reminiscent of Haisam Rida and Cyborg Abreu in +99kg the 2022 ADCC: by once-in-a-blue-moon opportunism.  

Andrew Tackett vs Tommy Langaker. Tackett wins by RNC.

A fan favorite for his dynamism, Tackett’s movement is in full expression. The 21-year-old middle brother keeps getting better. His top pressure, his ability to find the back off were nothing short of impeccable, even on the seasoned Langaker. 

The real question for Tackett is what happens when he meets with someone whose technique and movements are just as dynamic, explosive, and creative as his own. After a performance like that at WNO, fans can only hope for matchups at ADCC that further elevate and challenge the younger Tackett. A head-to-head against Mica Galvão or reigning champ of the division, Kade Ruotolo, would do the trick. 

Felipe Pena vs Rafael Lovato Jr. Pena wins by decision. 

In his post-fight interview, Pena discusses a deliberate effort to work his standup instead of playing guard. Pena’s gain in experience points is fans’ loss, as the match is a fifteen-minute snoozer between the two “legends.” Pena decides to work from the feet with Lovato (almost 41 years old) and retains judges’ favor for the entirety of the match for dictating the pace and position. In the final minutes, Lovato goes for a leg lock that doesn’t faze Pena and doesn’t convince the judges–or audience. For playing his “B Game,” Pena looks good, but it’s a boring match. Give us Gordon v Pena IV, please. Nothing else will do.  

Don’t feel sorry for Lovato Jr. He’ll still be at ADCC, making his eighth appearance at the World Championships, and -99kg. “The American legend” continues, securing an invite the morning before WNO. Despite two years spent “crying wolf” about his retirement, the forty-year-old Lovato shows no desire to go gently into that good night. 

JT Torres vs Nicky Ryan. Ryan wins by straight ankle lock

The internet has made its rounds regarding the history-making of this match, Ryan subbing Torres for the first time in over a decade (the last time: 2013 Pans semifinals against Michael Langhi). As mentioned above re: Tackett, there are no boring matchups in -77kg for ADCC, but a rematch between Torres and Ryan would be a worthy one. Odds are likely that Ryan would still win out, but two-time ADCC Champion Torres rarely makes the same mistake twice. This edition of ADCC will be Ryan’s fourth appearance and Torres’ sixth. 

Jasmine Rocha vs Emily Ferreira. Rocha wins by aoki lock 

Love her or hate her, Rocha delivers–definitively–against fellow up-and-comers. 

Any match at -55kg would be intriguing for Rocha, but an opener of Fornarino vs Rocha, is an ideal starting point: surprisingly, the two have yet to match up in IBJJF and an opening round would be a particular draw given their rising star statuses, their submission-heavy style, and their mutual tendencies toward guard play, and their shared desire to win their respective changes to rematch Ffion Davies. 

Where Rocha need to rise to the challenge is by “putting the boots on” established competitors like 2022 ADCC champion, Ffion Davies whose “basic knee cut” put Rocha to shame in WNO last year, and a fighter who won’t be fazed by the occasional kick in the chest from Rocha: ADCC Champion and UFC Fighter Mackenzie Dern. 

Rocha’s ADCC narrative alongside her father’s is perhaps the most interesting part of the imminent run. Cue the father-daughter “Rocky” training montages, as the underdogs look to scrap through their respective divisions. 

Diogo Reis vs Shay Montague. Reis wins by anaconda choke. 

“Baby Shark” came out looking like a Great White in his return to the WNO stage last week. Montague hangs impressively with his guard in the opening minutes of the match until Reis gets a bite on the neck. In case there were any questions about Reis’ recovery and preparedness for ADCC–he was injured in his last WNO match against Diego Pato–the answers are, “Reis is back” and “-66kg is looking like shark bait.” 

ADCC 2nd Asia and Oceania Trials Winners

Women’s Divisions

-55 kg: Adele Fornarino 

-65 kg: Sula-Mae Lowenthal

+65 kg: Gold: Nikki Lloyd Griffiths

Men’s Divisions

-66 kg: Huaiqing Xu 

-77 kg: Levi Jones-Leary

-88 kg: Lucas Kanard 

-99 kg: Daniel Schuardt

+99 kg: Mansur Makmakhanov 

Two Athletes to Watch Closely After the Asia and Oceania Trials

-55kg: Adele Fornarino

Last weekend, Fornarino became a four-time ADCC Trials winner and punched her ticket to her second ADCC. If Fornarino was an underdog in her ADCC debut in 2022, now she’s a serious contender coming into ADCC 2024. With some stellar no gi performances under her belt in the last two years (watch her 2023 No Gi Worlds run and her WNO Debut against Tubby Alequin) and a 100% submission rate across the two Asia and Oceania Trials, Fornarino has earned her reputation as a rising star in the sport ahead of “the big show” in Las Vegas. 

Adele is an exciting matchup against anyone at -55kg–Adele Fornarino vs Jasmine Rocha would be a barn-burner–but the most intriguing fights at ADCC 2024 for proving her growth as a grappler would be rematches. She’s had narrow losses in the past against Ana Rodrigues (at 2018 and 2019 Worlds) and Mayssa Bastos (at Pans and Brasileiros 2023), and wants the chance to run it back against the champ Ffion Davies (last faced at ADCC 2022). Fornarino keeps getting better, and after blazing through the first half of 2024 with sub-heavy performances, there’s reason to believe that Fornarino could deliver a few upsets in August. 

-77kg: Levi Jones-Leary 

Few things shocked the world of jiu-jitsu more than Levi Jones-Leary’s defeat of the practically peerless Lucas Lepri at the 2019 European Championship finals. Since then, Levi hasn’t quite lived up to the promise of his 2019 season.

Until now, it seems.

His social media profile is more…dialed in since moving out of New York City in 2023 and back to Australia, where he now trains under -77kg fan favorite and 2019 ADCC Absolute bronze medalist, Lachlan Giles.

If there’s an ADCC torch to pass between Australian grapplers at -77kg, it’s looking like Lachlan is passing that torch to Levi. Training with Giles has added precision to Jones-Leary’s no gi game: Levi’s run at the 2nd Asia and Oceania Trials was a six-match case study of his signature berimbolos and pressure passing fully weaponized for the ADCC ruleset. 

What happens in August for Jones-Leary in the most competitive -77kg division in history? It’s hard to say, but based on his Trials performance and his recent upset over fellow ADCC Trials winner, hotshot Jozef Chen, at Polaris in March 2024, Levi could turn some heads in Las Vegas

In interviews, Jones-Leary has expressed direct interest in fighting Mica Galvão and Kade Ruotolo at ADCC, but he’s most keen on the opportunity to rematch PJ Barch, against whom he lost narrowly in the same Polaris tournament where he defeated Chen. 

The clash of styles is real no matter whom Jones-Leary faces in the division, and the most interesting matchups for Jones could be against won at the most recent edition of WNO who will also be at ADCC. A matchup between Levi Jones-Leary and Andrew Tackett would be a compelling war of back takes. How Levi’s pressure passing and bolos would fare against the dangerous leglocks and wrestle-ups of Nicky Ryan remains to be seen. 

Jones-Leary has been a little bit off the ball the last five years–but if the last few months show us what it’s like when he’s on the ball, he could really get things rolling at ADCC 2024. 

Who’s In for ADCC 2024?

Women’s Divisions

 -55kg (Full and locked for ADCC)

• Margot Ciccarelli (European Trials winner)

• Ana Rodrigues (South American Trials winner) 

• Jasmine Rocha (West Coast Trials winner) 

• Adele Fornarino (Asia and Oceania Trials winner)

• Mackenzie Dern (Invited) 

• Mayssa Bastos (Invited) 

• Bianca Basilio (Invited)

• Ffion Davies (reigning champ of 2022 at -60kg)

 -65kg (Full and locked for ADCC)

• Aurelie Le Vern (European Trials winner) 

• Ana Carolina Vieira (South American Trials winner) 

• Helena Crevar (West Coast Trials winner)

• Sula-Mae Loewenthal (Asia and Oceania Trials winner)

• Morgan Black (Invited)

• Amanda Leve (Invited)

• Brianna Ste-Marie (Invited)

• Beatriz Mesquita (Invited)

 +65kg (One invite remaining)

• Nia Blackman (European Trials winner) 

• Maria Ruffato (South American Trials winner) 

• Elizabeth Mitrovic (West Coast Trials winner)

• Nikki Lloyd-Griffiths (Asia and Oceania Trials winner)

• Amy Campo (reigning champ of 2022 at +60kg)

• Kendall Reusing (Invited)

• Rafaela Guedes (Invited)

• Invitation-only spot

Men’s Divisions

-66kg (Two invites remaining)

1. Diogo Reis (2022 Champion)

2. Owen Jones (1st European Trial winner)

3. Dorian Olivarez (East Coast Trials winner)

4. Ethan Thomas (1st Asia & Oceania Trials winner)

5. Gairbeg Ibragimov (2nd European Trials winner)

6. Kennedy Maciel (1st South American Trials winner)

7. Fabricio Andrey (2nd South American Trials winner)

8. Deandre Corbe (West Coast Trials winner)

9. Xu Huaiqing (2nd Asia and Oceania Trials winner)

10. Ethan Crelinsten (Invited) 

11. Josh Cisneros (Invited)

12. Keith Krikorian (Invited)

13. Ashley Williams (Invited)

14. Kauã Gabriel (Invited)

15. Invitation-Only Spot

16. Invitation-Only Spot

-77kg (Full and locked for ADCC)

1. Kade Ruotolo (2022 Champion)

2. Jozef Chen (1st European Trials winner) 

3. Elijah Dorsey (East Coast Trials winner) 

4. Kenta Iwamoto (1st Asia & Oceania Trials winner)

5. Tommy Langaker (2nd European Trials winner)

6. Luiz Paolo (1st South American Trials winner) 

7. Alexandre de Jesus (2nd South American Trials winner)

8. Andrew Tackett (West Coast Trials winner)

9. Levi Jones Leary (2nd Asia and Oceania Trials winner)

10. Jonnatas Gracie (Invited)

11. JT Torres (Invited) 

12. Nicky Ryan (Invited)

13. Dante Leon (Invited)

14. PJ Barch (Invited)

15. Mica Galvão (Invited)

16. Oliver Taza (Invited)

-88kg (Two invites remaining)

1. Giancarlo Bodoni (2022 Champion)

2. Santeri Lilius (1st European Trials winner) 

3. Jacob Couch (East Coast Trials winner) | United States

4. Izaak Michell (1st Asia and Oceania Trials winner) 

5. Taylor Pearman (2nd European Trials winner) 

6. Charles Negromonte (1st South American Trials winner) 

7. Pedro Marinho (2nd South American Trials winner)

8. William Tackett (West Coast Trials winner) 

9. Lucas Kanard (2nd Asia and Oceania Trials winner) 

10. Tye Ruotolo (Invited) 

11. Jacob Rodriguez (Invited)

12. Gabriel Almeida (Invited)

13. Vagner Rocha (Invited)

14. Matheus Diniz (Invited)

15. Invitation-Only Spot

16. Invitation-Only Spot

-99kg  (One invite remaining)

1. Kaynan Duarte (2022 Champion)

2. Luke Griffith (1st European Trials winner)

3. Paul Ardila (East Coast Trials winner) 

4. Declan Moody (1st Asia and Oceania Trials winner) 

5. Marcin Maciulewicz (2nd European Trials winner) 

6. Cassio Felipe Costa (1st South American Trials winner)

7. Henrique Ceconi (2nd South American Trials winner) 

8. Michael Pixley (West Coast Trials winner)

9. Daniel Schuardt (2nd Asia and Oceania Trials winner)

10. Mason Fowler (Invited) 

11. Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu (Invited)

12. Roberto Jimenez (Invited)

13. Nicholas Meregali (Invited)

14. Rafael Lovato Jr. (Invited,)

15. Eli Braz (Invited)

16. Invitation-Only Spot

+99kg (Five invites remaining)

1. Gordon Ryan (2022 Champion)

2. Heikki Jussila (1st European Trials winner) 

3. Daniel Manasoiu (East Coast Trials winner) 

4. Josh Saunders (1st Asia and Oceania Trials winner)

5. Mark MacQueen (2nd European Trials winner)

6. Jose Inacio (1st South American Trials winner) 

7. Victor Honorio (2nd South American Trials winner) 

8. Mike Perez (West Coast Trials winner) 

9. Mansur Makhmakhanov (2nd Asia and Oceania Trials winner)

10. Victor Hugo (Invited) 

11. Gutemberg Pereira (Invited)

12. Invitation-Only Spot

13. Invitation-Only Spot

14. Invitation-Only Spot

15. Invitation-Only Spot

16. Invitation-Only Spot