ADCC champion Adele Fornarino did not hold back when discussing the state of women’s competition at ADCC during a recent appearance on The White Monster Podcast.
Speaking about equal pay and representation, Fornarino said, “I think that there should be a super fig ht. I think that there should be equal pay. I think that there should be multiple divisions because we’re now at a point in women’s jiu-jitsu where we can fill out multiple divisions.”
Fornarino also acknowledged the efforts of ADCC matchmaker Mo Jassim, while making it clear she believes the promotion still has room to grow.
“Mo has done an excellent job when he was organizing it to really push for another women’s division and equal pay,” she said.
When asked whether anyone could eventually beat her in an ADCC super match, Fornarino tied the answer back to her larger mission within the sport.
“I want to stay as dominant through every rule set as I possibly can,” she said. “I think that like I always want to advocate for women.”
Her manager and close friend, Sara Rafferty, added further context by explaining that pushing for more women’s representation is something they actively discuss whenever Fornarino is booked for an event.
“When they get opportunities on cards, we always try and advocate for more women’s matches,” Rafferty said. “How many women’s matches they got? Like who else is on the card? Like what other girls do they have?”
Host Declan also pointed to the women’s trials as proof that the talent pool has grown deep enough to justify further investment from ADCC.
“If you look at even the Trials, you know, the ones that come before the actual ticket, they’re still stacked,” he said. “And people aren’t even fig hting for the ticket, and just getting that experience for when the ticket comes around.”
The return of the women’s absolute division and the resurgence of the women’s 55 kg division were important steps in Rafferty’s eyes.
“It was kind of a big thing like that ADCC was a big thing for the women in general because we had more divisions and an absolute,” she said. “So we had just more opportunities to be out on the stage in general, which was cool.”
