Brazilian jiu-jitsu standout Adele Fornarino has announced her withdrawal from ADCC 2026, citing a series of grievances with the organization’s handling of athlete safety, pay equity, and competitive structure for women.
Chief among her concerns was ADCC’s slow response to removing Izaak Michell from competition following the issuance of an arrest warrant. Fornarino was pointed in her criticism, describing the delay as an avoidable one.
“I deeply disagree with some of the decisions that ADCC has made recently, in regards to them taking such a long time to make some very easy decisions in my opinion, like taking Izaak Michell out of the division as soon as a warrant was for his arrest,” she said.
“It was a very easy, simple decision to make that could have made a very positive stance throughout the community, especially given what’s going on at the moment. I think that they really lost that opportunity to have a very positive impact in our community.”
Fornarino also raised the pay gap between male and female competitors. While she expressed genuine support for the men’s recent pay increase, she argued that women deserve equal compensation.
“I disagree with the fact that the women are paid half the amount of the men. The men’s pay went up, which is super exciting for them. I’m very happy for them. I think that that’s absolutely warranted.”
“But on the same page, I think that the women deserve to be paid what the men deserve to be paid. It’s not our fault that we have half the amount of competitors in the division.”
Adding to her frustration is ADCC’s quiet removal of the female Absolute division and the female super fig ht, two categories Fornarino had personal stakes in.
“They’ve kind of swept that under the rug and not really made any announcements or any statements on that,” she said. “There’s no female super fig ht, which for me means that I won the Absolute, I had my opportunity to get a super fig ht, and they’ve kind of taken that away from me, which is a bit disappointing.”
From a financial standpoint, Fornarino said the numbers do not add up.
“It doesn’t make sense for me to spend two years prepping for a competition that doesn’t give any show money to the athletes that are putting a lot of time and energy and investing in themselves and the people around them to then maybe breaking even, maybe making a little bit of money if they completely win their division.”
She has since aligned herself with UFC BJJ, an organization she believes is genuinely committed to elevating women in the sport.
“I truly believe that they are one of the only promotions that are, in their main events, putting four female matches on in one night. They’re allowing the same opportunities for their females as they are for their males.”
For Fornarino, the decision ultimately comes down to legacy.
“My career has always been about making history. It’s always been about leaving a positive legacy, and now more than ever, that is about really standing for the women in this sport.”
