The ADCC World Championships are nearly here and 2024 will be one of the most exciting years for the women's divisions ever. The tournament has expanded from two to three divisions and will feature an absolute bracket for eight standouts to compete in. The -55kg division is set to feature eight of the best from around the world who will clash to figure out who will write their names in the history books.

The -55kg division is headlined by former champion Bianca Basilio, who won in 2019 and took fourth in 2022 at -60kg. She is the only former medalist in the bracket, but there's no easy path here. All eight of the eight athletes here are ranked in the top-15 of the world at 115 or 125lbs.

This weight class is full of some of the best guard players in the tournament and a lot of submission oriented athletes who put on a show. Everyone involved here has won at the elite levels of grappling and jiu-jitsu before, which makes this a bracket full of landmines and upset potential from the first match.

Division Favorites

#8 Bianca Basilio, Returning Medalist

• Bianca Basilio is the likely oddsmakers favorite to repeat as champion, but that's in large part because of how new this weight is and how she's the only one to have consistent ADCC success in the field. She has great back takes, an aggressive submission mindset, and is very physical for the weight. However, she hasn't been very active lately - since winning IBJJF Worlds last year she has only had two matches against less experienced competitors. The inactivity (and the potential reasons behind it) are the biggest red flag here for me. Also of note, she did lose at 57kg last year to #7 Tammi Musumeci, who has lost to some in the field like Rocha. Still, she's the only woman here who has won at ADCC Worlds, and that's meaningful experience.

#1 at 115lbs Mayssa Bastos, Invited

• As soon as the new weight was announced, everyone circled Bastos as perhaps the biggest beneficiary. There's no doubt she's one of the best pound-for-pound, but she was simply too small at -60kg for ADCC Worlds. She's still not big for -55kg, regularly winning Worlds at 49kg, but those extra 5kg are going to be really impactful. She has a stellar guard, world-class back takes, and a championship pedigree. The biggest complicating factors for Mayssa will be the size and the wrestling. If she can add this title to her resume, she is undoubtably one of the greatest female grapplers ever.

Contenders

#2 Adele Fornarino, Asian & Oceanic Trials Champion

• The Australian standout Adele "Daddy" Fornarino makes her ADCC return in a very different place than she was in for 2022. At her debut ADCC, she was largely an afterthought who was pretty unknown. In the two years since, she has clearly leveled up and established herself as a medal threat (even gold). She's a great leg locker, powerful physically, and has a knack for getting things started quickly. What still remains to be seen is if she can wrestle well enough to get the job done and how she handles someone like Mayssa who has beaten her twice in the gi.

#4 Jasmine Rocha, North American Trials Champion

• Jasmine Rocha is an action-oriented guard player who adds a lot to any bracket with her brash attitude and fan-friendly style. She finally broke through at North American Trials, winning with a submission over Enriquez in the finals, and now looks to continue that momentum with a potential run here. She is really experienced in the ruleset and has fought most of the field, showing off strong leg locks, arm locks, back takes, and more. Her issue, like some others here, is the wrestling - she will need her guard to be on point if she wants to medal here. If it's the right day, though, she has the ability to hang with and defeat anyone.

Darkhorses

#3 Ana Rodrigues, South American Trials Champion

• Ana is a classic scrapper, constantly grinding down fights with great position and strategy combined with the physicality and technique needed at the elite level. Anna is far more of an accomplished gi fighter, with two IBJJF black belt world championships, and this transition to no-gi is still new. Her first no-gi tournament at black belt was the South American Trials and she was talented enough to win (even beating Rocha) but had trouble in her recent WNO match against Adele Fornarino. There she was unable in a longer match to establish any serious position and was disengaging so much she drew penalties - also a concern at ADCC. For Anna to win, it will be all about how she has transitioned her gi skills and how much she engages successfully. If she is her aggressive self, she is probably on the medal podium.

#6 Alex Enriquez, Invited

• For so many on this list, the wrestling is the big issue they will need to overcome. For Enriquez, that's where she shines and it will be her ace in the hole in Las Vegas. She's got a strong pedigree in American folkstyle and freestyle wrestling that she's adapted very well to grappling. With her experience against the field, she's a threat - but she has taken losses as well. For her, if she can press her advantage and keep these to controlled wrestling matches then it's hard to see anyone matching up well. The more exchanging and scrambling, though, the more likely her back gets taken or a limb gets snatched.

Sleepers

#15 Brenda Larissa, Invited

• Brenda is an ultra-gritty competitor from Brazil who is a tough out for anyone in the world. She is physical, technical, and strategically sound. She won the first South American Trials (not earning an invite) before losing in the second to a controversial penalty call. Still, she got her invite later on and is in the right stage of her career for an upset run. She's another grappler who may struggle with some of the wrestling and other no-gi specific elements but there's no question that if it comes down to heart and grit - Brenda Larissa can beat anyone.

#14 Margot Ciccarelli, European Trials Champion

• Margot is an interesting addition to this bracket, winning European Trials with her usual technically-sound style. She's always expanding her game and has made a strong transition to the no-gi game after years focusing on gi. Now, she gets to test that at the ultimate level. Margot's game tends to be strong guard play with a focus on taking the back, but she's developed some nice leg locks as well and has spent a lot of this camp with B-Team. That may be wise, considering her teammate and likely first round opponent Mayssa is going to be waiting.

How To Watch The 2024 ADCC World Championship

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