ADCC Day 0

Two phrases used to describe the ADCC are "the Olympics of grappling" and "the Woodstock of jiu jitsu." ADCC 2022 is happening this weekend in Las Vegas.

Jiu jitsu hasn't yet crossed over into the mainstream – most fans are also practitioners – but if the sport ever does break out, people will point to this weekend as a pivotal moment in its history. The palpable energy and production quality of ADCC 2022 is unlike any other jiu jitsu event, thanks in large part to years of effort by head organizer Mo Jassim.

There is one upside to jiu jitsu still being a niche sport: accessibility. The tournament starts tomorrow morning, but the venue was open this evening for the bracket reveal and an athlete meet and greet. Within five minutes of stepping onto the floor at the Thomas & Mack Arena, I spoke to two Hall of Famers: Marcelo Garcia, who gave me my blue belt just before the pandemic, and Renzo Gracie, whose lineage I now train under at Gregor Gracie's. The rest of the evening was a surreal experience of seeing the sport's biggest names just hanging out in the crowd.

Here's some portraits from ADCC Day 0.