Sarah Galvao, Gianni Grippo win ADCC 2026 invites at West Coast Trials
Eight grapplers punched their tickets to ADCC 2026 at the West Coast Trials in Pomona over the weekend, with Sarah Galvao and Gianni Grippo leading the charge.
Galvao, the 19-year-old prodigy ranked atop the pound-for-pound gi rankings, could have waited for a direct invite but chose to compete for her slot instead, per MMA Mania. She steamrolled through the under 65 kg bracket with five wins and three submissions to secure her first ADCC Worlds appearance. Galvao has been on a tear lately, coming off double gold at the 2026 IBJJF Pans where she upset super heavyweight Gabi Pessanha.
Grippo goes perfect at 66 kg, Haddad survives deepest bracket
The 66 kg division belonged to Grippo. The 34-year-old three-time IBJJF no gi world champion went 7-0 without surrendering a single point to claim gold and his first ADCC invite in 11 years. Grippo last competed at the world championships back in 2015, and his run showed the kind of longevity rare at lighter weight classes that typically demand more speed and scrambles.
Nathan Haddad, a cast member from the UFC BJJ reality show, battled through the stacked 88 kg bracket that featured PGF champion Ryan Aitken, ADCC trials winner Jacob Couch, and UFC grappler Andy Varela, according to MMA Mania. Haddad logged seven wins and three submissions across two days, stopping Aitken in the finals to capture his first ADCC Trials title. Elder Cruz took gold at 99 kg to qualify for his third ADCC Worlds, while Michael Sainz, Nick Hartman, Sheliah Lindsey, and Paige Borras rounded out the eight qualifiers.
The event ran April 18-19 at the Fairplex Expo Hall with over 700 competitors vying for eight invites. One Trials event remains this cycle before ADCC 2026 slots are finalised.
Photo by Jonathan Tomas on Unsplash
Original reporting:
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