The debate over women’s representation at ADCC has sparked passionate discussions throughout the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community, with high-level competitor Maggie Grindatti Lira offering a perspective that challenges the current petition calling for equal divisions between men and women at the prestigious tournament.
Grindatti, a seasoned black belt with over a decade of competition experience, has voiced her disagreement with proposals to immediately expand women’s divisions at ADCC to match the men’s format of five divisions with sixteen competitors each. Her stance centers on the importance of sustainable growth rather than rushed expansion.
Currently, ADCC features five men’s divisions with sixteen athletes per division, while women compete in three divisions. The recent petition advocates for equal representation, but Lira Grindatti argues this approach overlooks the reality of participant numbers and the sport’s development trajectory.
“I don’t disagree that there shouldn’t be more women added, but I do disagree that it should be equal,”
Grindatti explained during an appearance on the Jits and Giggles podcast. Her position stems from examining participation rates at ADCC trials, where the numbers tell a compelling story about current engagement levels.
At the European trials, only 14% of competitors were women, while North American trials saw 17% female participation. These figures fall significantly short of the 30% female participation rate generally observed across jiu-jitsu as a whole. Grindatti contends that these statistics demonstrate women aren’t yet showing up in numbers that would support five divisions of sixteen athletes each.
The veteran competitor emphasizes ADCC’s recent progress in supporting women’s grappling. She points to the organization’s addition of a third women’s division, implementation of equal prize money, and creation of trial opportunities that allow women to compete at an initial event before their official qualifying tournament.
“In the last two ADCCs, they’ve done two things for women,”
she noted, highlighting the organization’s consistent support as participation has grown.
Grindatti‘s alternative proposal suggests adding one more women’s division with eight competitors per division rather than jumping to five divisions of sixteen. She believes this measured approach would maintain competitive quality while accommodating growth.
“Three divisions of eight is going to be much better competition than five divisions of sixteen,”
she argued, emphasizing that ADCC’s prestige has always been built on featuring only the best athletes.
Her perspective also considers the tournament format itself. In current conditions, male competitors face significantly more matches than their female counterparts—up to 40–60% more in some cases. Grindatti suggests that expansion should align with participation rates to maintain fairness across the board.
The competitor stresses her support for women’s jiu-jitsu growth but advocates for building a strong foundation rather than forcing rapid expansion. She draws from her experience starting in 2014, when only two women’s divisions existed, to illustrate how steady progress has brought the sport to its current state.
