ADCC 2019 is fast approaching and the line-up changes are coming in fast and hard. AJ Agazarm and Mikey Musumeci are both already out of the field and it has recently emerged that Cobrinha will be replaced by his son, Kennedy Maciel.
Check out the full competitor list below:
1st North American Trials Winner: Ethan Crelinsten (CAN)
Fighting out of the Renzo Gracie academy, Crelinsten is an exciting grappler with a propensity to pull off upsets. Ethan at his best, watch his match against the much-larger Jon Blank.
South American Trials Winner: Ruan Alvarenga (BRA)
Ruan is an Alliance standout and a constant threat on the mats. The Brazilian is scrappy, explosive and could pull off some upsets on the world’s biggest stage.
2nd European Trials Winner: Thomas Halpin (IRE)
A black belt under Cyborg, Thomas Halpin has had an amazing year. After great performances at Polaris, Tom tried his hand at the ADCC trials and blew away the field before scoring an impressive rear naked choke in the final. Check out this old clip of Tom hitting a hip bump to triangle against Bellator fighter James Gallagher.
Asia-Oceania Trials Winner: Kenta Iwamoto (JPN)
Tri-force product Kenta Iwamoto will enter the tournament with little expectation on his shoulders. As a purple belt, Kenta will be one of the least experienced grapplers on the mats.
Invited: Geo Martinez (USA)
10th Planet black belt Geo Martinez will be looking to score a medal for the system at this years ADCC. Geo is a phenomenon on the mats and has really hit another level over the last 2 years. While the rule set doesn’t tend to suit 10th Planet guys, Geo has what it takes to make it to the podium.
Invited: Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes (BRA)
Soul Fighter’s exploit Tanquinho is experienced and versatile. Notoriously difficult to submit, Tanquinho’s style makes him a tricky opponent for anyone.
Invited: Shane Jamil Hill-Taylor (USA)
Team Lloyd Irvin’s Hill-Taylor is one of the best guys in the world in the gi, but at black belt he’s an unknown quantity nogi. Hill-Taylor is obviously talented, but it remains to be seen how he will do against the best nogi guys.
Invited: Paulo Miyao (BRA)
Like Geo Martinez, Miyao’s weakness is his wrestling and unfortunately for the Cicero Costha standout it’s important in ADCC. Skills wise Miyao is among the best in this line-up, but it remains to be seen how he will cope against stronger wrestlers.
Invited: Gianni Grippo (USA)
Alliance’s Gianni Grippo is an amazing athlete and this could be his year. Another athlete with less than stellar wrestling, Grippo relies on great sweeps and submission dominance, with Marcelo in his corner it will be interesting to see how far he can go.
Invited: Pablo Mantovani (BRA)
A 4th place finisher from 2017, Mantovani has what it takes to beat the big names. Maybe this year he’ll make it one step further.
Invited: Keith Krikorian (USA)
10th Planet’s most exciting talent, Keith Krikorian could be a dark horse for this tournament. With strong wrestling and a great leg lock game, I can see Krikorian pulling off some upsets.
Invited: Bruno Frazatto (BRA)
An Atos exploit and a former silver medalist, Bruno can beat anyone in the world on his day. It’ll be interesting to see how Frazatto stacks up against the emerging talent.
Invited: Matheus Gabriel (BRA)
Checkmat black belt and gi savant Gabriel is another great talent, but his lack of nogi experience might cost him, especially if he faces an elite leg locker early on.
Invited: Kennedy Maciel
Replacing his father, Kennedy has some big shoes to fill. Kennedy will be a champion one day, but this year’s ADCC might be a touch to soon for the gifted grappler.
Invited: Richard Alarcon
Giva Santana’s Richard Alarcon has been really exciting to watch over recent years. His exploits in CJJ have been impressive and he has had some good performances in nogi matches too.
Invite: Tye Ruotolo
Atos’ teen blue belt is a star for the future, but ADCC 2019 will likely only be a tool to gain experience for Ruotolo. The future is bright, but like Kennedy, this might be a little too soon.
Keep your eyes on grapplinginsider.com for all the latest ADCC news.
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