The ADCC Trials tournaments have been an incredibly exciting few events so far, and they are heading to Singapore this weekend for the first set of ADCC Asia & Oceanic Trials. Countries like Japan and Australia always have a strong contingent in this emerging grappling market, making these Trials one to watch for breakout talent.

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-66kg

There's a crew of young, hungry athletes in this division who are all looking for their breakout moment here. The name that jumps out immediately is "Baby Dave" David Stoilescu, who was the runner up here last Trials and made day two of East Coast Trials before losing to Keith Krikorian. Other names to watch include the mulleted Spatchy, Jakob Brooks, of Daisy Fresh fame. After watching his teammate Jacob Couch break through, could he be next? Also in the mix are Daiki Yonekura (double gold at IBJJF No-Gi Pan Pacific Championships recently), Lachlan Giles student Mikael Yahaya, and more.

• Jakob "Spatchy" Brooks
• David Stoilescu
• Ethan Thomas
• Huai Qing Xu
• Mikael Yahaya
• Daiki Yonekura

-77kg

• Hugh Boyd
• Matt Clarke
• Kenta Iwamoto - ADCC World Championship Veteran, #14 at 170lbs
• Burak Sarman
• Tomoshige Sera
• Jeremy Skinner - ADCC World Championship Veteran
• George Sotiropoulos - ADCC World Championship Veteran
• Siraj Soufi
• Jay Jay Wilson

Kenta Iwamoto is a great example of how much an athlete can improve their stock at ADCC Worlds, even in a losing effort. He took JT Torres to a very close decision in the first round after qualifying through the trials process in 2022. Can the Japanese standout win Trials again? If so, he is going to be a popular pick as a darkhorse at this deep weight. Also here, interestingly, is Jeremy Skinner, who won Trials and made the world quarterfinals at -66 last year. If he can adjust to the size, him and Kenta may be the match of the event.

There's an interesting second tier here that can have a great performance and win. Many are high on the young & talented Hugh Boyd, another student of Lachlan Giles, and this could be his coming out party a la Owen Jones or Dorian Olivarez. Burak Sarman is a long-time veteran of the scene, having beaten guys like Giles and Craig Jones many years ago. Jay Jay Wilson is a very talented Bellator (PFL?) fighter, and George Sotiropoulos is an Australian grappling legend, having competed in the UFC and ADCC Worlds many times. On the right day, any of them could win it or at least make things interesting with a top seed.

-88kg

• Roberto Dib-Frias - ADCC World Championship Veteran
• Ruslan Israilov
• Lucas Kanard
• Izaak Michell - ADCC World Championship Veteran, #4 at 185lbs
• Azamat Osmanov
• Kaya Rudolph

This is another weight with two ADCC veterans, Izaak Michell and Roberto Dib-Frias who both ended up losing first round of ADCC Worlds in 2022 (though Michell had the match of the tournament awarded to his fight with Vagner Rocha). In the meantime, Michelle has continued his ascent up the grappling ladder and notched a number of impressive victories - including a decision win over Jacob Couch at Tezos WNO 18. Many are circling Michell as not only a pick to win Trials, but a serious factor at Worlds in August. Kaya Rudolph is another grappler who adds spice to this weight, having competed for AIGA and been one of the standouts of the scene.

-99kg

• Harry Grech
• Ben Hodgkinson - ADCC World Championship Veteran
• Anton Minenko
• Declan Moody
• Daniel Schuardt

Ben Hodgkinson is a returning Trials winner who had the unfortunate luck of drawing Gordon Ryan first round at 2019 ADCC Worlds. Now, he aims to return with better fortune as one of the favorites to win this division. He recently spent time at B-Team to prepare, which is interesting considering his main rival here will probably end up being Declan Moody (another B-Team athlete). If they meet, there may be some familiarity that we watch work itself out on the mat. Also in the field is Harry Grech, a man known for his kimura, and Daniel Schuardt, who is a powerhouse at -99kg.

+99kg

• Marc Grayson
• Josh Saunders - ADCC World Championship Veteran

Josh Saunders and teammate Marc Grayson appear to be the class of the smaller heavyweight field, at least coming in. Josh won here but ended up losing first round to Felipe Pena in 2022, so we can gauge how that experience has helped improve him and his game.

The women's divisions will not gain any qualification spots for ADCC Worlds, but they are important in terms of seeding for the second trials and experience in the ruleset. The athlete to watch is going to be Adele Fornarino, a recent transplant to Atos. The Australian is an ADCC veteran who is probably going to benefit a lot from the change to -55kg, so we are excited to watch how she has adjusted to a more natural weight. If you only make time for one of the athletes in the women's divisions, make it Adele.

There aren't many names in the women's divisions who stand out as far as world level accomplishments, but you have to factor in that many women grapplers don't get these kinds of opportunities to shine regularly, especially those who can't afford to travel outside the Pan Pacific region consistently. This is one such opportunity, whoever wins these brackets will have put themselves on the radar so I expect these athletes to rise to that occasion with some impressive performances.