We Speak Jiu Jitsu

Preguiça Stands Alone: Felipe Peña Becomes First Two-Time ADCC Absolute Champion in Kraków

Published

1 month ago

September 13, 2026

Felipe “Preguiça” Peña left Kraków with a piece of ADCC history no one else owns. The Brazilian submitted Roosevelt Sousa with a rear-naked choke at 10:03 of the absolute final on Sunday at Tauron Arena, becoming the first athlete ever to win the ADCC absolute division twice.

Peña’s road through the open-weight bracket was relentless. He opened with a submission of Francis Pana at 14:11 in the round of 16, beat Eoghan O’Flanagan 3-0 on points in the quarterfinal, then forced a smother tap from Ruslan Abdulaev at 13:15 in the semifinal — three submissions in four matches, capped by the choke that finished Sousa.

Sousa arrived in the final with real momentum of his own, having submitted all three of his opponents — Tommy Langaker by rear-naked choke, Felipe Costa by calf slicer and Marlon Tajik by smother tap — but Peña’s experience told in the match that mattered most.

The title run came hours after Peña’s weight-class campaign had ended in frustration. In the +99 kg division he submitted Nick Hartman in the quarterfinal, lost his semifinal to Josh Saunders by referee decision, then forfeited the bronze-medal match because of a foot injury. BJJ Heroes reported he was nursing that injury and considered quitting the tournament after the semifinal, before his brother talked him into contesting the absolute.

Peña’s first absolute crown came at ADCC 2017 in Espoo, Finland, where he submitted Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida in the semifinal and defeated Gordon Ryan in the final. Nine years on, at the first ADCC Worlds staged in Poland, he stands alone atop the division’s history. Brazil led the Kraków medal table with five golds, in a weekend that also crowned Victor Hugo at +99 kg, Jasmine Rocha in the women’s -55 kg division and Helena Crevar at women’s +65 kg, while Yuri Simões won the superfight over Kaynan Duarte.

We Speak Jiu Jitsu

ADCC 2026: Felipe Pena Makes History, Helena Crevar Wins Gold and Scotland’s Mark Macqueen Takes Bronze

Published

4 days ago

October 22, 2026

Royal Jones

Action from the 2026 ADCC World Championship in Krakow, Poland.

The 2026 ADCC World Championship in Kraków, Poland delivered history, a stack of new champions, and a strong showing for the United States and Europe — with Scotland’s Mark Macqueen reaching the podium in front of a European crowd.

Brazil’s Felipe Pena became the first person in ADCC history to win the absolute bracket twice, beating Roosevelt Sousa in the final. In the championship superfight, Yuri Simoes defeated Kaynan Duarte by submission after Duarte appeared to injure his shoulder in overtime.

American star Helena Crevar continued her takeover of the women’s divisions, submitting Anabel Lopez in the +65kg final to add ADCC gold to her growing collection. Fellow American Paige Ivette Clymer took bronze in the same division, submitting Elizabeth Mitrovic in 1:52 in the bronze-medal match. The USA also picked up silver medals through PJ Barch (-77kg) and Gavin Corbe (-66kg), while Austin-based Luke Griffith won his first ADCC world title at -99kg.

Europe enjoyed its strongest ADCC showing on record. Host nation Poland celebrated its first ADCC champion as Pawel Jaworski won the -88kg title with three straight leg-lock submissions on his way to the final, and Scotland’s Mark Macqueen claimed bronze in the +99kg division behind champion Victor Hugo and silver medalist Josh Saunders.

ADCC 2026 Champions

Absolute: Felipe Pena

Superfight: Yuri Simoes def. Kaynan Duarte

Men’s +99kg: Victor Hugo

Men’s -99kg: Luke Griffith

Men’s -88kg: Pawel Jaworski

Men’s -77kg: Magomed Dzharbaev

Men’s -66kg: Kennedy Maciel

Women’s +65kg: Helena Crevar

Women’s -65kg: Ana Carolina Vieira (submitted Sarah Galvão in overtime in the final)

Women’s -55kg: Jasmine Rocha

The championships also produced the weekend’s ugliest moment: a brawl broke out after the 66kg opening-round match between Dorian Olivarez and Bekzat Kapashov, with Olivarez’s corner — including Gordon Ryan — caught in the middle. ADCC disqualified both fighters and banned each for one year, with Olivarez’s father and coach suspended for two years.