Nicholas Meregali did not expect the reaction he got when he went public with his reluctance to compete at ADCC 2026.
He had been candid about not wanting to travel to Poland for the tournament, but the response that followed caught him off guard. A significant portion of the online commentary landed on a simple explanation: he was scared. Meregali pushed back on social media without mincing words.
“Multiple world titles, I finished a huge roster of ADCC champions, 4 surgeries and I came back and dominated a world champion, and I’m scared of ADCC? Being that I fought the first time without bad training No Gi, imagine saying that I’m scared. The loser heads of y’all see the fearful perspective you have, good morning people.”
His original comments had come during an appearance on the MMA Hoje podcast, where he sat down with his manager Viktor Doria and gave an honest account of how he felt about the upcoming event.
“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 continued:
“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.”
Some felt an athlete with his record had every right to be selective. Others were less sympathetic, pointing to his early exit at ADCC 2024 due to injury and arguing that his hesitation said more about his confidence than his schedule.
Money is also part of the picture. Meregali recently signed with UFC BJJ, which has made clear it has no interest in letting its athletes compete at ADCC and has said 2026 will be the last year it allows an exception. Even setting that aside, ADCC purses have rarely reflected the preparation, travel, and physical cost the event demands, and that calculation gets harder when the venue is a Polish city three hours from a major airport.
Adding insult to injury ADCC went from offering under the table participation money to maybe paying you $20,000 if you win.
The Las Vegas editions built real mainstream momentum and felt proportionate to the talent competing. Events in Finland and China often had the opposite problem, with thin crowds and flat production that undercut what was happening on the mats.
Away from the tournament debate, Meregali is also opening a gym in Austin, Texas, a sign that his attention is increasingly on what he’s building outside of competition.
