The Road to ADCC 2022 – 1st South American Trials in Balneário Camboriú, Brazil

Last updated on 15.02.2022 by

The ADCC South American Trials is always one of the most awaited and hyped tournaments. The two trials are each held in Brazil, and Brazilians dominate the leaderboards each year, as they get the chance to compete for a spot at the Olympics of Grappling: the ADCC World Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This year, five of the best Brazilian grapplers earned their spot at the 2022 World Championship in the first trial which was held in Balneário Camboriú, Santa Caterina, Brazil and seven more athletes will have a chance to do so in the second trials next week in Sao Paulo, Brazil. 

Like always the South American athletes showed a beautiful and very aggressive style of Jiu Jitsu with 84 from 168 matches ending with submission! A 50% submission rate is not seen very often in a high-level event of this caliber, especially in this rule set. 

The team that dominated the scene was without a doubt Fight Sports who won four of the five spots for the World Championship and medals in every division.

Men’s -66 Kg Division

66KG Winner Diego Ries ADCC South American Trials

Maybe the biggest upset of the weekend was in the -66 kg Man division, where 19-year-old black belt Diego Reis took the crown. 

Although a gi specialist who usually competes in the rooster weight divisions, this young Melque Galvao black belt showed a winning mindset and eliminated the division favorites, submitting his teammate and current IBJJF Black Belt World Champion Fabricio Andre. 

Reis took a victory by decision against the division favorite, Diago Pato, who won almost every major tournament the past year. After this hard fought battle against Pato, Reis went on his way to the final trial, finishing all of his remaining opponents in less than five minutes.

Men’s -77 Kg Division

 77KG Winner Micael Galvao ADCC South American Trials

In the -77 kg division all eyes were on Micael ‘Mica’ Galvao and he didn’t disappoint. The 18 years old black belt from Manaus once again showed a very offensive strategy, developed by his father and coach Melque Galvao, that led him to the number one spot by submitting all of his opponents. 

The dark horse and surprise of the category was veteran Jiu Jitsu star Magid Hage. Well known for his baseball choke in the gi, Hage surprised everyone by submitting all five of his opponents leading up to the final, where he was finally stopped by Galvao.

Men’s -88 Kg Division  

88KG Winner Isaque Bahiense ADCC South American Trials

The middleweight division had two big favorites sitting on opposite sides of the brackets: former ADCC 2015 Open Weight World Champion Claudio Calasans and Dream Art Team leader and former IBJJF Black Belt Europeans, Pans, and Worlds Champion Isaque Bahiense. 

As expected they met in the final for the number one spot for the 6th time in their black belt careers – but this was their first time in a no-gi match. 

With both athletes having lots of experience in the ruleset, the match was a tactical game and in the end Bahiense came out the victor, showing an advantage in speed which allowed him to win every exchange. 

This was Isaque’s fourth ADCC trials attempt (two times in 2015 as a purple belt and taking silver in 2017), finally earning his spot in the World Championship; he is considered by many to be a real force in the division in September.                                

Men’s -99 Kg Division

99 Winner Joao Costa ADCC South American Trials

The under 99 kg division was mostly about aggressive wrestling exchanges and wild scrambles. Having a mix of some new generation athletes with seasoned black belts, the crown was taken by Fight Sport’s new star, Joao Costa, who currently trains in Miami, Florida. 

Henrique ‘Ceconi’ Cardoso made an impressive showing, making his way to the final while demonstrating his fast paced style and mix of wild scrambles and aggressive takedowns.

Men’s +99 kg Division

+99 Winner Roosevelt Sousa ADCC South American Trials

Unable to compete in the US for some time now due visa problems, talented young Brazilian Black Belt Roosevelt Sousa hasn’t formerly been able to make a name for himself in the big profesional scene. But now after running over the +99 division in the trials he for sure will be a force to be recognised in the US in September. 

Sousa was able to finish all of his opponents by leglocks, and in the final hit one of the most attractive submissions of the tournament, finishing the match with a beautiful heel hook which he transitioned into a Calf Slicer.  

ADCC 2022 Brazilian Trials Winners

Men’s Results

– 66 Kg: Diego Ries (Fight Sports) – 4 wins, 2 submissions

– 77 Kg: Micael Galvao (Fight Sports) – 5 wins , 5 submissions

– 88 Kg: Isaque Bahiense (Dream Art) – 5 wins, 2 submissions

– 99 Kg: Joao Costa (Fight Sports) – 5 wins, 1 submissions

99+ Kg: Roosevelt Sousa (Fight Sports) – 4 wins, 4 submissions

Women’s Results

– 60 Kg: Jinana Sais (J2 Martial Arts) – 2 wins 

60+ Kg: Rebecca Albuquerque (Fight Club) – 2 wins, 2 submissions