While North and South America continue to produce the majority of top grappling talent, it's undeniable that the rest of the World is putting out elite talent at a higher rate than ever. One of the most prolific regions has been Europe, which had their first ever ADCC World Champion in 2022. Now, in 2022, thirteen more world class Euro athletes will make their way to T-Mobile with a chance to stamp themselves as one of the very best on the planet.

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Thanks to the ADCC qualification model, there are 26 spots available at Worlds from the Europe, Africa, & Middle Eastern Trials - and there's no doubt that Europe dominates those Trials. In this cycle, only 2 spots were won by someone not representing a European country (both South African). This gives a derth of opportunity for these grapplers, but to take full advantage of it they will need to author some kind of upset-filled run at Worlds.

So who are these European athletes? Who should fans be watching out for August 17-18? Let's take a look at the thirteen and what makes each of them a threat.

The Europeans Competing At ADCC 2024

1. Owen Jones, GBR, -66kg

The upstart from London has been one of the biggest risers in this ADCC cycle, winning Trials in a bracket with two ADCC veterans and doing it with a big attitude that fans have cottoned to. Owen is a good guard player who excels at inverting from the RDLR/DLR into the legs and at finding reverse closed guard - a position he has helped bring back into vogue. For all his personality and skill, that -66kg bracket is ultra deep - for him to make a run it's going to take the tournament of his life.

2. Santeri Lillius, FIN, -88kg

Santeri is slowly, quietly becoming one of Europe's top stars. The Finnish black belt is now a two-time Trials winner who is strong, technical, and a patient operator on the mats. After his first run at ADCC, this second time around he will be more prepared for the challenges and level - and with a decent seed could quickly find himself deeper in the bracket in 2022.

3. Heikki Jussila, FIN, +99kg

Heikki is an interesting grappler - in addition to his success on the mats (ranked in the top-15 in the world at heavyweight) the Finnish grappler is also an engineer who works full-time, in contrast to many in the field who only focus on grappling. Still, he makes it work and scored an upset at Trials when he beat Big Dan. He followed that up in 2023 by making the IBJJF World No-Gi finals, and now that we are seeing him more we are seeing just how good Jussila is.

4. Gairbeg Ibragimov, RUS, -66kg

These ADCC brackets are just more fun when there's a wrestling wild card int he mix, and the -66kg Trials winner Gairbeg is just that. Most people who are aware of Gairbeg outside of Trials remember him from AIGA, where he helped Universal Fighters beat Team Modolfo by delivering the crucial final victory over Fabricio Andrey. With wins like that and Ash Williams at Trials, Gairbeg can be the ultimate disruptor inside T-Mobile.

5. Taylor Pearman, GBR, -88kg

If you can go all submissions through Trials, it should open eyes. Pearman did just that in the -88kg division, beating guys like Adam Wardzinski on his run. Now, he prepares for the biggest tournament of his life yet. Taylor was originally known for his triangles and guard, but has developed a lethal leg lock game that was on full display at Trials.

6. Marcin Maciulewicz, POL, -99kg

Marcin is a lesser known grappler but he's one of the rising talents in no-gi. He won a brown belt IBJJF no-gi world title, medaled in the absolute, and followed that up with a dominant Trials run at -99kg. He is a crushingly powerful Polish athlete who is going to be a stubborn, difficult test for anyone.

7. Mark Macqueen, SCO, +99kg

You want power? Look no further than Macqueen, who is probably the single strongest athlete at ADCC 2024. He's a Scottish brute who won world titles in powerlifting before transitioning to grappling and if he gets a good lock on you, it's a big problem. This guy has competition personal bests on bench of +450lbs, squats over 800lbs, and deadlifts over 750lbs. I know that doesn't immediately parlay into grappling success, but he brings an element of raw strength no one else here can.

8. Margot Ciccarelli, ITA, -55kg

Margot is making her first trip to ADCC after spending most of her career focusing on the gi and the AOJ world medalist will be one to watch in the -55kg bracket. She will likely have teammate Mayssa Bastos first round, and considering Margot's technical and tactical skills I think that's a very hard match to predict. Whoever makes it out of that will be a threat to win the tournament.

9. Aurelie Le Vern, FRA, -65kg

Aurelie is a really promising young grappler out of Six Blades who has had an incredible run lately to announce herself on the world stage, winning Euros in her native France and winning Trials in impressive fashion. She's got a very high level and is a little unknown to many in the field, making her a very dangerous draw in Vegas.

10. Nia Blackman, GBR, +65kg

Nia is one of CheckMat's brightest rising stars and she won a tough Trials bracket to get herself here at +65kg. She has good wrestling, good top game pressure, and fights smart - but has struggled against the best of the best. She's still young though, and improving rapidly, and this tournament represents an enormous opportunity for her to leap forward into the top of the pack.

11. Ash Williams, WAL, -66kg

Ash is one of Europe's most well-known no-gi grapplers and the Welsh star has earned that with world-class performances and success. He wasn't able to win at Trials this cycle but medaled twice and continues to be right there with the best guys. If he can make that small change, he will turn the final corner into contending on the World level that many think he's capable of.

12. Mateusz Szczecinski, POL, -77kg

Maybe the most dangerous man on this list is Mateusz, who helped revolutionize the ankle lock into the finisher it is today. The Polish guard player won his first match in an upset over William Tackett at ADCC 2022 after only a few weeks notice, and now he will have a lot more time to prepare. His unique, powerful weapon of the achilles lock is going to make him a danger to anyone, though he will need to show a diversity of his game to medal in a field like this.

13. Sula-Mae Loewenthal, GBR, -65kg

Sula is another unknown name who's getting her shot at greatness after winning Trials - in this case Asian Trials, where she used her dual citizenship to enter and qualify. Sula might have the least recognition of anyone on this list and should expect a top seed early, perhaps even a champion like Bia Mesquita, but we've seen crazier things happen at wild tournaments like ADCC.

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