Just about two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of competing in one of the biggest BJJ tournaments of my life – the 2024 ADCC World Championships.

I came into the tournament prepared but with relatively low expectations. I was the 14 seed; my first match was against a former medalist (and multi-time adult black belt world champion), and I was a rookie who didn’t even win the ADCC Trials.

My mindset? Happy to be there, really.

In hindsight, this all feels silly to say, but it’s important that I set the stage. I felt kind of like a charity case and I felt like I needed to prove that wasn’t the truth.

Here’s what I learned about Jiu-Jitsu and myself from ADCC.

I almost didn’t make it to the mat.

Okay, that’s not true. I just like being dramatic.

However, I did (like everyone who tries to test themselves) have a tough time at points during the preparation.

Remember articles two and three of the training camp blogs, when I was talking about injuries and how your best isn’t enough? Remember when I got all nihilistic and philosophical? Remember when my BJJ articles sounded more like a Kafka novel than a reflection on training for a sport?

Well, during that period, I wasn’t training much at all.

I injured my back pretty badly in the middle of the camp, and I was afraid that by the time ADCC came around, I was going to be a fraction of myself. It felt unwise to include the details of my injury in the articles, but I’m sure y’all got the gist. There was a period during ADCC prep when I would go to the gym, warm up, realize that I couldn’t do anything, and then just go home. Herniated discs are brutal.

But injuries are part of this sport, especially when you train hard. I worked with a PT, dialed in sleep and rest, and eventually made my way back to the mat.

During the last few weeks of ADCC camp, I had to work pretty closely with Dima to pick wise partners for me, be careful about volume, and avoid certain positions. I did this literally for the entire camp when I came back.

It wasn't until the weekend before ADCC that I felt close to 100% healthwise.

Given my performance, I think it’s important you know that. I’m also not using my injury as an excuse for not winning – if anything, it’s the opposite. I wasn’t expecting to do as well as I did, but I worked hard (and smart) around my injury so that I could be ready to perform.

I outperformed “healthy” grapplers because I was smarter than them.

On the event itself

By the time I got to Vegas, I wasn’t really excited to compete anymore.

I was tired of telling people I was excited (that kind of felt like what you’re supposed to say), I was tired of training so hard and barely keeping myself together, and I was really sick of talking about the tournament and who I’d be matched up with.

But the second I walked into the T-Mobile Arena on Friday for weigh-ins, the excitement came back. I realized that all the anticipation was finally over. It was showtime and I was there.

Everything that had happened over the last few months didn’t matter anymore.

For some reason, whenever I prepare for a tournament, my favorite day is the last day before. I got paired with Josh Hinger in the first round (which I was honestly not super surprised about), and I was just ready to finally compete. I really wanted a match with someone far more accomplished than me, and I got my wish.

I had the best nights of sleep of the whole camp on the Thursday and Friday nights before the event. There wasn’t too much stress anymore.

The experience of competing in this ADCC was unlike anything I’ve experienced before as an athlete. There isn’t even a close second.

T-Mobile was massive and impressive. There were so many people that I couldn’t gauge how big it was. The security was tight – it wasn’t like a normal Jiu-Jitsu tournament where athletes would sit with the spectators. I spent most of my time backstage with my coaches and teammates.

I thought about all the crazy UFC fights and other events that have happened at T-Mobile. The famous people who have done concerts there. I thought about how a Stanley Cup had recently been won in that arena.

Before my last match, I looked up at the crowd and thought about when I was a kid playing sports by myself in my backyard. The huge crowd that I’d imagined was finally there in front of me. Something about it just felt “right.”

I tried to soak up the whole experience because I didn’t know if I’d ever have the chance to do something like this again.

On the matches

In my first match with Hinger, I felt confident but also a bit nervous.

Stylistically, I thought it was a good match for me, but also Josh is one of Atos’ top guys. He beat a Ruotolo brother not long ago.

I managed to hit a nice foot sweep in the first few minutes and eventually, I got in my opponent’s leg and finished an inside heel hook.

That was a big win for me and a bit of a statement I think – although I was seeded 14, I was there to contend. Big win for the dorky writer guy with glasses.

In my second match, I had a long, overtime war against one of the Brazilian Trials winners, Charles Negromonte. He was really cagey and didn’t attack much, so I decided to just attack him constantly. Even though not all of my attacks were super tight, my initiation count was high and I had a good look at a calf slicer, which I think gave me the decision.

Suddenly, there I was, getting my hand raised and heading to Day Two of the ADCC World Championships. It was a cool feeling, but there wasn’t much time to soak it in. The tournament wasn’t over.

If you had told me after the West Coast Trials in March that I wouldn’t just be going to ADCC, but I’d be winning multiple matches, I’d have told you to stop teasing me and twisting the knife.

And yet, there I was.

After Day One, I got some dinner with my coach, girlfriend, and friends from Chicago who had flown out to watch me compete, and then I went to bed pretty early.

The next day, I didn’t do as well.

I lost a ref’s decision to my teammate, Jay Rod, in the semifinals, which is coincidentally the same way that I lost at the West Coast Trials.

I did the bronze medal match shortly after against 99kg Brazilian Trials winner Felipe Costa, and I straight-up gassed trying to finish an ankle lock. That’s my fault. That loss hurts a lot more than the loss to Jay. Decision losses can go either way and I think in our match Jay had more scoring opportunities than me. He won

In the bronze medal match, I felt the foot pop several times, but popping does not mean finishing. I didn’t get the tap, blew my wad, and I lost the match. My opponent won, but I really felt like I lost. That one will haunt my nightmares for a minute.

Just like that, the biggest weekend in my grappling career was over. I finished 4th at 88kg.

Closing Thoughts

After the tournament, I went to the Caesar’s Palace Buffet with everyone who came from Chicago who came to watch me compete.

My parents, my girlfriend, my friends, and my coach, Jeff, who had cornered me all weekend. It was a great time. I had a drink for the first time in months, ate everything in sight, and then hit the roulette tables where I made a whopping $75.

My phone was blowing up all weekend long and after all that, all I wanted was to just get away from the sport for a few moments.

But after flying home, writing a few articles about the experience, and thinking a bunch, you have to ask the questions eventually that you don’t want to think about right away.

Most importantly, what’s next for me?

I want to compete more, I want to work more on my wrestling, but most importantly I just want to keep being a part of the growth of Jiu-Jitsu. I’ve been around this sport for nearly 10 years, and I never fathomed that I’d have the chance to grapple in front of 15 thousand people in one of the most famous arenas in combat sports.

Life is crazy and I just want to keep riding this wave.

Win or lose, Jiu-Jitsu is cool as hell and it’s growing so much, so fast.

I wonder if we’ll ever be able to top that wild weekend in Vegas. It was one for the history books.

Read more from Chris at TheGrapplersDiary.Substack.com 

Revisit Chris' ADCC Prep Blog

• I'm Competing at ADCC. Here's My Training Routine and Thoughts On The Event
• ADCC Prep Week 2: The Grim Reality of Trying to Be Your Best
• ADCC Prep Week 3: The Mental Game of Grappling
• ADCC Prep Week 4: "The Deload Week"
• ADCC Prep Week 5: The Home Stretch
• ADCC Prep Week 6: Are We There Yet?
• ADCC Prep Week 7: On the Road

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