ADCC 2026 wrapped in Krakow this weekend, the first time the tournament has returned to Europe since 2017. Poland was a fitting choice. The country has become one of the fastest growing jiu jitsu markets on the continent, and its own Pawel Jaworski walked away with gold in front of a home crowd, becoming just the fourth European athlete in the event's history to win a world title.
Coverage going in was noticeably quieter than the last few Las Vegas editions. Odd broadcast hours for American fans and a marketing push focused on Europe meant a lot of people simply weren't paying attention this time.
The competition didn't seem to notice. Kennedy Maciel won the sixty six kilogram title, the same weight class his father Rubens "Cobrinha" Maciel owned back in 2013, 2015, and 2017. No father and son had ever done that before at ADCC. Felipe Pena nearly withdrew from the open weight bracket with an injured foot before his brother talked him back onto the mat, and he came out the other side with his second open weight title, the first person in the tournament's history to win it twice.
Nine nations reached the podium this year, breaking a record that had stood since 1999.
None of that needed a spotlight to happen. The sport kept moving whether anyone was watching closely or not, which is really the whole point behind the name we picked back in 2019.