The grappling community was shaken after Claudia Gadelha revealed that athletes signed exclusively to UFC BJJ will no longer be allowed to compete at ADCC beginning in 2027.
The announcement sparked immediate reactions across the sport, and ONE Championship’s vice president of grappling, Tom DeBlass, delivered one of the strongest responses:
I just heard today that UFC will no longer be allowing their athletes to compete in anything else that includes ADCC, which is our Olympics.
A lot of people ask how I feel about that. What I feel about it is it’s terrible.
DeBlass emphasized that grappling operates differently from mixed martial arts:
Grappling is not MMA. Grapplers have the ability to compete every week.
Since I came on board (as VP of ONE Championship grappling), our grapplers compete everywhere – CJI, ADCC, WNO, Polaris… I have relationships with every organization.
At ONE Championship, athletes only need to notify the promotion before accepting another match.
As long as the bout is not scheduled within roughly a month of a ONE appearance, they are granted permission.
Central to his criticism was ADCC itself, which he considers the highest achievement in submission grappling:
ADCC is like our Olympics. There’s something deep and special about winning that.
Now you’re not allowing athletes to do that. For what? For control. This isn’t for the athletes.
DeBlass concluded with a direct message to competitors weighing their options, promising that ONE would not prevent them from pursuing opportunities elsewhere:
What you are getting from me is a promise that we will not lock you in where you can’t compete anywhere. You want to compete in IBJJF, ADCC, WNO, Polaris – talk to me.
This is your life, and you only get one.
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