On Saturday, the ADCC World Championships held its first qualifiers of the season at Arena Ursynów in the capital. These trials are renowned for their high-level competition and thrilling displays of skill and emotion. It was an obvious choice to attend with a team, as witnessing the trials as a spectator builds anticipation for the upcoming weeks of training on the mat.
One of the defining characteristics of these trials, no matter where they are held in the world, is the unpredictability of the outcomes. Trying to make predictions based on familiar names or past medalists proves futile, as you never truly know who will shine this time. However, this year, the divisions were incredibly competitive, making it even more challenging to make accurate forecasts.
In the -66 kg category, another young competitor, Owen Jones, representing England, emerged victorious. At nearly 20 years old, Jones trains at Apex Jiu Jitsu in London under the guidance of Jed Hue. As mentioned earlier, it was challenging to consider him among esteemed names like Kamil Wilk, Ashley Williams, Robert Diggle, or the reigning champion, Sam McNally. However, none of the aforementioned athletes made it to the podium, which would have been an unexpected outcome considering their reputations. On his journey to securing a ticket, Owen Jones defeated Ashley Williams and Robert Diggle, and his final bout against B-Team’s Cameron Donelly demonstrated his aggressive and determined approach to Jiu Jitsu. We applaud his performance and eagerly await more from him.
In the -77 category, the undisputed hero of the tournament was 19-year-old Jozef Chen, a member of the B-Team, who trains diligently every day. On his path to securing a ticket in the -77 kg category, he defeated the top favorites in his weight class, including Mateusz Szczeciński, whom he faced in the quarterfinals. Chen sought redemption against Mateusz for his previous trial defeat, although it’s undeniable that Mateusz provided him with the toughest challenge en route to the gold. Chen also convincingly defeated Tommy Langaker in the semifinals, and in the final against Oliver Taza, he showcased jaw-dropping technical skill that left the entire audience in awe. We eagerly anticipate witnessing this level of performance in the 2024 finals.
In the -88 kg category, Finland’s Santeri Lilius will be attending the ADCC World Championships for the second time, having defeated Simola in the final. Santeri won 5 out of his 6 fights on points, leaving the decision to the judges.
In the -99 kg division, the winner, Luke Griffith from South Africa, a protégé of Danaher, secured all his victories via submission on his path to the gold medal.
In the +99 kg category, the winner was Heikki Jussila from Finland, who claimed victory on points in the final against the category favorite, Dan Manasoui another Danaher student, representative from New Wave.
Craig Jones provided a solid review and recap from an insider’s perspective:
