Professional grappling is in the middle of the biggest power shift in its history. ADCC, the sport’s most exclusive tournament, leaves the United States for the first time since 2019 as the 2026 ADCC World Championship heads to Kraków on September 12-13. At the same time, the UFC has moved straight into the space with UFC BJJ, running its own numbered events and signing athletes to exclusive contracts, and Craig Jones canceled CJI 3 back in May after admitting CJI 2 barely broke even. The mat game is being rebuilt in real time.

For all the boardroom noise, the clearest sign of grappling’s pull is happening inside the cage. The wrestlers and jiu-jitsu players who once had to choose between a gi and four-ounce gloves are now doing both, and they are winning.

Bo Nickal is the obvious case. A three-time NCAA champion at Penn State and a BJJ purple belt, he took a 9-1 MMA record into the summer and stopped Kyle Daukaus in the first round at UFC Freedom 250 in June. Four of his nine wins are submissions: a triangle, two rear-naked chokes and an arm-triangle, the kind of finishes that come straight out of the grappling room.

The bigger name is Islam Makhachev, who turned a 16-fight win streak and 13 career submissions into a two-weight-class reign. He headlines UFC 330 on August 15 against Ian Machado Garry, exactly the sort of grappler-versus-striker puzzle that pulls in an audience well beyond the hardcore mats. For American fans following that crossover, MMA has become one of the fastest-growing markets on the best sports betting apps, where fight cards now sit next to the NFL and NBA in the main menu.

Makhachev goes in as a wide moneyline favorite, and the betting interest says as much about style as it does about his record. A grappler who dictates where a fight happens is easier to read than a striker who lives on split-second timing.

“Makhachev hasn’t lost since 2015 and has 13 submissions on his resume,” one MMA analyst said. “When a grappler that clean gets top position, the round is basically over. Garry’s only path is keeping it standing for 25 minutes, and almost nobody has managed that against him.”

That grappling-first approach is why his welterweight title win over Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 landed so hard. Makhachev moved up a division, controlled all five rounds on the judges’ cards, and became the 11th fighter in UFC history to hold belts in two weight classes.

The traffic runs both ways. As UFC BJJ signs pure grapplers to exclusive deals and an ADCC medal turns into a real credential on an MMA scouting report, the wall between the two sports keeps getting thinner. We broke down how UFC BJJ is reshaping the pro grappling market and what Craig Jones stepping back means for independent events.

For fans, the takeaway is simple: the athletes who spend their lives hunting submissions are now some of the most watchable names in the sport. Anyone turning that interest into a wager should treat it as entertainment, set a budget first, and use the National Council on Problem Gambling helpline at 1-800-MY-RESET for confidential support if betting stops being fun.

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