In a surprising move, ADCC has announced that 3-time champion Yuri Simoes will be allowed to compete in an unprecedented trifecta at ADCC 2024 – the superfight against Gordon Ryan, his weight class division, and the absolute division.
The official ADCC announcement stated:
“ADCC 2024: 3X champion Yuri Simoes will face Gordon Ryan in the ADCC superfight. Yuri is a 2 division champion taking gold in the 88kg and 99kg divisions. At ADCC 2022 Yuri would take gold in the absolute division, beating Cyborg, Nicky Rod and Meregali along the way. Yuri will attempt to get the ADCC triple crown this August (division, absolute and superfight champion).”
However, this blockbuster announcement was met with heavy skepticism from the jiu-jitsu community on social media. Many questioned the merit of a Yuri vs Gordon superfight, given Gordon’s past victories over Yuri even when Gordon was a lower belt. Others claimed the match-up was boring or that ADCC was falling off by making this the superfight.
“Didn’t Gordon beat him when he was like a purple or brown belt? lol” one commenter mocked. “Nobody cares about this match. Get Gordon a better super fight. Preferably someone who doesn’t hand fight stall the entire match,” wrote another.
The skepticism likely stems from Yuri’s lackluster performance against Nicky Rodriguez at the recent UFC Invitational 5 event, where he lost a grueling overtime match marred by stalling and passivity penalties.
Moreover, ADCC’s decision to allow Yuri this unprecedented trilogy comes at a time when the event is facing high-profile athlete departures to Craig Jones’ rival event. This had led to accusations that ADCC is compensating for a weakened lineup.
Regardless of the backlash, Yuri now has a huge opportunity to etch his name in the history books by becoming ADCC’s first ever triple crown winner across the superfight, weight class, and absolute divisions. But he’ll have to overcome the doubters and Gordon Ryan’s past wins over him to do so.
