2017 ADCC World ChampionshipsSep 23, 2017 by Hywel Teague
Biggest First Round Upsets From ADCC 2017
Biggest First Round Upsets From ADCC 2017
The golden rule for any ADCC event is to expect the unexpected! The first round of the 2017 brackets promised explosive first round matches; we highlighted four, and they didn't fail to deliver.
The golden rule for any ADCC event is to expect the unexpected! The first round of the 2017 brackets promised explosive first round matches; we highlighted four, and they didn't fail to deliver.
As always at ADCC, there were some shocking moments with a few big names going out in the first round… read on for our spoilerific breakdown of the biggest first round upsets of ADCC 2017.
The young Atos upstart Kaynan Duarte (pictured top), a 19-year-old brown belt who qualified for ADCC by winning the Trials in Rio de Janeiro, showed no sign of being fazed by Popovitch's credentials though. His well-known guillotine attack, which was one of his main weapons when he fought his way to gold at the Trials in Rio, served him well once again when he forced Popovitch to submit in the regulation time period. Incredible.
The 2015 champ went out after a back and forth battle that saw Mackenzie come close to securing her trademark 'Dernoplata' (a choke from the omoplata position) but ultimately lose on points 4-2. It's worth noting that Dern has an MMA fight next month: here's hoping this setback won't take her away from grappling for too long.
After his performance, few people will forget his name. Jones submitted one of the heavy favorites in his opening match when he took the back of Leandro Lo and submitted him with a rear naked choke.
The shock result was followed by another huge win when Jones submitted the extremely tough Murilo Santana with a triangle choke. Regardless of what happens here on out, Jones made a big statement with his performance so far and deserves to be recognized as one of the breakout no-gi stars of 2017.
As always at ADCC, there were some shocking moments with a few big names going out in the first round… read on for our spoilerific breakdown of the biggest first round upsets of ADCC 2017.
3. Kaynan Duarte vs Pablo Popovitch
Pablo Popovitch is something of an ADCC legend, a name to be both respected and feared thanks to his accomplishments and his prowess in no-gi competitions.The young Atos upstart Kaynan Duarte (pictured top), a 19-year-old brown belt who qualified for ADCC by winning the Trials in Rio de Janeiro, showed no sign of being fazed by Popovitch's credentials though. His well-known guillotine attack, which was one of his main weapons when he fought his way to gold at the Trials in Rio, served him well once again when he forced Popovitch to submit in the regulation time period. Incredible.
2. Elvira Karppinen vs Mackenzie Dern
We've already talked about how Mackenzie hasn't been on top form this year, but any hopes of seeing her make a comeback at ADCC were unfortunately put to rest by the Finnish 10th Planet rep Karppinen.The 2015 champ went out after a back and forth battle that saw Mackenzie come close to securing her trademark 'Dernoplata' (a choke from the omoplata position) but ultimately lose on points 4-2. It's worth noting that Dern has an MMA fight next month: here's hoping this setback won't take her away from grappling for too long.
1. Craig Jones vs Leandro Lo
Even though Australian black belt qualified for ADCC once before and competed in 2015, he was still a little-known name heading into this year's event.After his performance, few people will forget his name. Jones submitted one of the heavy favorites in his opening match when he took the back of Leandro Lo and submitted him with a rear naked choke.
The shock result was followed by another huge win when Jones submitted the extremely tough Murilo Santana with a triangle choke. Regardless of what happens here on out, Jones made a big statement with his performance so far and deserves to be recognized as one of the breakout no-gi stars of 2017.