The latest wave of ADCC 2026 invitations has arrived and the most striking name on the list belongs to a Brazilian legend who has spent more time accepting honors than competing in recent years. Gabi Garcia, 40, has been offered a spot in the Women’s +143 lbs (65 kg) bracket and the grappling world is left to wonder whether one of the sport’s all time greats has one more run in her.
Garcia’s case stands apart from every other name on the invite list. She is not a rising contender looking for a platform. She has nothing left to prove and arguably no peer in her weight class across the history of the sport. Her last competitive appearance came at the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational where she stepped onto the mat against Craig Jones, a match she chose over attending her own induction into the ADCC Hall of Fame.
The invite raises a question without answering it, is Garcia returning to compete or is she being honored in a way that comes packaged with a bracket slot. At 40 with significant time away from the competitive circuit the road back would not be a short one. Her physical gifts have always set her apart, particularly the combination of size, strength and stature that she built across years of ADCC dominance.
Also given the fact ADCC has opted no to do women’s absolute division in 2026, it seems like Garcia’s just taking the trip to get a chance to add one more record to the books more than anything.
Also joining the invited roster for ADCC 2026 is Adam Wardzinski who earns a spot in the Men’s -218 lbs (99 kg) division. His placement is notable for a specific reason. As a Polish competitor his invitation carries an obvious local appeal at an event being staged in his home country. Wardzinski is primarily regarded as an elite gi practitioner and has rarely competed at this level under nogi rules. He did make an appearance at a prior ADCC edition though without reaching the podium and his inclusion makes considerably more sense when viewed through the lens of the host nation than through his nogi track record.
The customary super match pairing between Kaynan Duarte and Gordon Ryan now appears unlikely to materialize. Duarte is currently listed as facing a yet to be named opponent. Ryan’s situation has been the subject of prolonged public discussion after he shared the details of the stomach problems that have kept him from training at full intensity since early 2024.
“I have not been able to train or lift hard since January of 2024, as I just begin dry heaving immediately when I do,” Ryan wrote in an Instagram post that many read as a retirement announcement.
Yet just days later he appeared on a podcast and outlined a very different scenario.
“Right now, I’m just trying to nurse my stomach back to health and train as much as I can,” he said. “I really haven’t been able to train hard or lift or train hard like super competitive rounds in like probably two years. So I’m just trying to get my stomach back to where it needs to be. And hopefully ADCC 2026 is this year.”
He also described what a competitive ramp up would look like.
“If I’m going to compete in that, then I’m planning to start competing like before then. Like I always like to do a lot of competitions when I ramp up to ADCC just to get whatever rust I have off. So if my stomach is able to do that, then that would be my plans.”
The fact that Duarte’s opponent remains unnamed carries its own weight. Whatever Ryan decides the absence of a confirmed challenger for the top position in the bracket is a conspicuous gap.
Nicholas Meregali has not been filling anyone with optimism about the event’s prospects either. The multiple time world champion made his position on the Poland location clear during an appearance on MMA Hoje alongside his manager Viktor Doria.
“Dude, honestly, I think it’s a hassle to go to Poland, man, it’s the end of the world. Not even a capital city, a city in the countryside. I don’t know, a 3-hour drive. I don’t have the desire. None at all. You have to convince me to compete because I don’t want to.”
He did not offer much encouragement beyond that.
“It doesn’t make a difference, man, to be honest. I have no inclination whatsoever. Maybe I’ll compete, maybe I’ll keep winning, and then suddenly I’ll get excited (about ADCC). But possibly not. At least not nowadays, if I had to sign the contract tomorrow.”
Complete list of Invitees for ADCC 2026:
Men -66 kg (out of 16)
Nikodem Mikuliszyn (POL) Europe Trials 1
Dorian Olivarez (USA) USA Trials 1
Ryoma Anraku (JPN) Asia Trials 1
Yigit Hanay (TUR) Europe Trials 2
David Mateus Santos (BRA) Brazil Trials 1
Kauã Gabriel (BRA) Brazil Trials 2
Fabricio Andrey (BRA) Invited
Men -77 kg (out of 16)
Magomed Dzharbaev (RUS) Europe Trials 1
Jacob Bornemann (USA) USA Trials 1
Izaak Michell (AUS) Asia Trials 1
Nikolay Vetrov (RUS) Europe Trials 2
Julio Cesar Suzigan Martins (BRA) Brazil Trials 1
Alexandre De Jesus (BRA) Brazil Trials 2
Mateusz Gamrot (POL) Invited
Men -88 kg (out of 16)
Pawel Jaworski (POL) Europe Trials 1
Jonathan Blank (USA) USA Trials 1
Jozef Chen (TWN) Asia Trials 1
Marlon Tajik (SWE) Europe Trials 2
Franco Diaz (PER) Brazil Trials 1
Gustavo Batista (BRA) Brazil Trials 2
Men -99 kg (out of 16)
Kaynan Duarte (BRA) ADCC 2024 Winner
Declan Moody (GBR) Europe Trials 1
Achilles Rocha (USA) USA Trials 1
Nicholas Maglicic (AUS) Asia Trials 1
Eoghan OFlanagan (GBR) Europe Trials 2
Elioenai Julio Souza Braz (BRA) Brazil Trials 1
Vinicius Lessa (BRA) Brazil Trials 2
Adam Wardzinski (POL) Invited
Men +99 kg (out of 16)
Felipe Pena (BRA) ADCC 2024 Winner
Mark Macqueen (GBR) Europe Trials 1
Brandon Reed (USA) USA Trials 1
Tito John Carle (AUS) Asia Trials 1
Haisam Rida (GHA) Europe Trials 2
Roosevelt Sousa (BRA) Brazil Trials 1
Pedro Lucas (BRA) Brazil Trials 2
Women -55 kg (out of 8)
Adele Fornarino (AUS) ADCC 2024 Winner
Janette Gloger (GER) Europe Trials 2
Mayssa Bastos (BRA) Brazil Trials 2
Women -65 kg (out of 8)
Ana Carolina Vieira (BRA) ADCC 2024 Winner
Injana Goodman (GBR) Europe Trials 2
Livia Barasine (BRA) Brazil Trials 2
Women +65 kg (out of 8)
Anabel Lopez (ESP) Europe Trials 2
Yara Soares (BRA) Brazil Trials 2
Gabi Garcia (BRA) Invited
Super match
Kaynan Duarte (BRA) 2024 Absolute Winner
vs.
TBD
