Ana Mayordomo has made headlines in the jiu-jitsu world with an unusual achievement, winning two separate ADCC trials – and having to still qualify for ADCC 2026. Mayordomo told Declan Moody on his podcast:
“For ADCC trials, every region has two trials. For the male divisions, that means that if you win any of those, you will qualify for ADCC. For women, because the brackets are half the size of men’s, there are two trials but only the second one of every region counts.”
The Spanish-born competitor won the first trial in Europe and the first trial in America, neither of which secured her an ADCC spot.
“People were confused about it. They were like, I thought you won the second trial. I was like, what happened? I just won a third ticket to ADCC. No. I have to win a second set of trials.”
Mayordomo holds dual citizenship, which allows her to compete in both regions. Her plan is direct and pragmatic.
“I’m going to do the European ones first. My plan is to not have to do the Americans. I don’t even know when the date for the Americans is. So I’m going to do those trials which will be February 14th, Valentine’s Day. Get me a gold medal for Valentine’s.”
She acknowledged the challenge of comparing the two trial experiences, noting that health issues played a significant role.
” So I definitely had a tougher run and I think everyone was really tough, but it’s another factor where I can’t really compare it.”
Mayordomo also pointed out differences in judging between regions.
“The judging criteria I feel like in the US and for the Finnish judges in Europe, I think it’s a little different. I think the Finnish judges, you have to do so much for them to give you points, versus in the US, I feel like sometimes the points for me come a little too quickly.”
The current structure creates a rare scenario where female competitors must effectively validate themselves in ways their male counterparts do not. While Mayordomo accepts the system as it stands, the situations is fairly absurd. For one, Mayordomo is effectively using her passports to secure twice the opportunity all other competitors have on top of that it creates a very odd situation.
