The -77kg bracket is packed with talent from around the world, all ready to do battle to find out who is worthy of the title of ADCC World Champion. This division has two former champions, JT Torres and Davi Ramos, and five other place winners that will all be pushed by a young crop of emerging talent.

The biggest star in the division and the favorite coming in will be Mica Galvao, the Manaus black belt who won the IBJJF Grand Slam this year and took silver at ADCC 2022. All eyes will be on him as he attempts to win gold here - and then potentially the absolute as well.

All rankings are according to FloGrappling's Official No-Gi Rankings, at the weight of 170lbs unless noted.

Division Favorites

#2 Mica Galvao

• Mica set a simple goal for 2024 - win everything. So far, so good on that plan as he swept the IBJJF Majors, netting himself his first every gi black belt world title in the process. The phenom from Manaus has looked just about unstoppable, winning with dominant performances in BJJ Stars, WNO, and more. Last ADCC, Mica came close but left with silver after being submitted in the finals - since then, he's been on a war path back to this moment.
  Mica is the favorite to win this bracket but he will have some tough contenders in his way like Dante who has been a stubborn problem to solve. Mica excels when he is storming opponents early, attacking with a barrage that either finishes the fight, gets him to great position, or scores so many points they can't come back. What will be the threats are good foot lockers (a common thorn in his side) and opponents who are physical enough to weather that early storm.

#4 Dante Leon

• Dante has earned his reputation as one of the true BMFs of BJJ with his fight anyone, anywhere attitude that more closely resembles a Spartan than a modern athlete at times. He's a throwback kind of grappler who has physical power that's more in line with a heavyweight than anyone in this weight class. He's the returning bronze medalist here and he is going to be one of the top seeds to advance deep here.
  Dante's likely going to have to go through Galvao for gold and that would mean beating someone with multiple wins over him. Still,  that ADCC match and their WNO rematch were both very controversial - and definitely left reason to think Leon can win this.

Contenders

JT Torres

• JT Torres is back, and having won two out of the last three editions of this tournament he must be considered a factor here. He has great wrestling, great tactical understanding of the rules, great passing & top pressure, and is always in shape. He can likely beat many of these ADCC debutants off of sheer experience, considering his history here at the tournament.
  Still, JT has not been particularly active lately and it's a concern. Since ADCC 2019 he has only taken a select few matches and at the 2022 Worlds he lost in the quarterfinals to Barch. Earlier this year, he was submitted for the first time in no-gi competition as a black belt. It may just be that JT has lost a step from where he was, which at the elite levels can have enormous consequences. If Torres can find a way to turn back the clock, he can medal again at the toughest tournament in the world.

#5 PJ Barch

• PJ Barch really broke through to another level in 2022 when he scored a 4-point takedown to upset JT Torres, finishing fourth and putting the world on notice that he was one of the best. For Barch though, he is back to improve on that finish and get on the medal stand - with eyes on gold. His stellar wrestling, back takes, and scrambling ability make him a problem for anyone and he has the physical size to overwhelm many in the division.
  Barch is much more of a grinder in his pace than someone who explodes and then throttles back, so expect him to be trying to keep a very measured pace throughout.

#8 Jonnatas Gracie

• Jonnatas has really emerged in the last few years as an elite no-gi athlete and the Atos grappler is finally making his ADCC debut. In the last few years he has made the transition down to 170lbs where he earned an invitation after a very close, controversial loss at South American Trials to Alexandre Robinho. He's also bounced back up to 185lbs, recently winning the WNO Championship at middleweight with a dominant performance over Jacob Couch. Regardless of weight or opponent, Gracie is a beast.
  He's physically powerful, with many at Atos calling him one of the strongest in the room, he's a patient and experienced competitor, and he has developed a mean-streak in his no-gi game that punishes opponents with cross-faces, top pressure, and more. What bit him at South American Trials was waiting too long to pull the trigger. When Gracie is being aggressive, he's one of the best in the world.

#3 at 185lbs Vagner Rocha

• Vagner is back again and the multiple-time medalist is already making history - him and both of his children (Jasmine & Achilles) will be competing at ADCC in 2024. Now with that accomplished, though, it's time to focus on the results on the mat. Vagner has medaled in the last three ADCCs but never won it, something that would cap an incredible career he's had. He is a rough grappler, constantly towing the line between legal and illegal in a way that forces people into his game. Everything hurts with Rocha, from his collar ties to his hand smothers, but all of that can overshadow that he is a very technically talented fighter.
  There's nowhere the fight can end up that Rocha won't be comfortable and with his pace and scrambling ability this could be a great run for the veteran. If there is one big red flag it's his age. For some the experience is a plus, for others the vibrancy of youth can be the edge. Depends on the draw and how much Vagner can pull people into his style of match.

Darkhorses

Garry Tonon

• Garry owns the moniker of the 'Most Exciting Grappler In The World' and that is a well-earned nickname for the New Wave star. He's acrobatic, dramatic, and systematic in attacking submissions from everywhere. His transitions and escapes are some of the best in the history of no-gi grappling and he is responsible for truly epic moments in the history of this event.
  Still, though, Garry has been focusing on his MMA career these last few years. After his 2019 bronze medal he shifted that focus and has been far less active in this scene the last few years - including a first round exit in 2022 after dropping down to -66kg for ADCC. Now, though, he's back at his proper weight and ready to test himself once more against the best.

#9 Mateusz Szczecinski

• Mateusz has the best straight ankle lock in the world and in a lot of ways has brought that technique back to the elite levels. The Polish star made his ADCC debut in 2022 on short notice and now returns to 2024 with more preparation and experience. He's a threat to anyone here if he can get into the legs, but that singular focus can also make him simpler to gameplan for. The more Mateusz is attacking with variety - even just to set up his ankle lock - the better his odds become.

Sleepers

#10 Elijah Dorsey

• Elijah was on very few radars coming into East Coast Trials, but he beat two ADCC veterans - Oliver Taza & Nicky Ryan - to win that ultra-tough bracket and stamp his ticket to ADCC. He did recently falter in a WNO match and I think it showed something to Elijah's game - when he can control the pace and exchanges early, he builds momentum very well. Whenever the match starts getting away from him, he chases aggressively and it can come back to bite him. At the very least this is great experience for the young black belt, but with a good draw and some strong openings I think he can open some eyes here.

How To Watch The 2024 ADCC World Championship

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