ADCC 2017 takes place on September 23 & 24, at the Espoo Arena in Finland. The event will be webcast live by flograppling.com Continuing with our ADCC 2017 handicap we now look at perhaps the toughest division in the event, the Under 88KG division. With names like Romulo Barral, Pablo Popovich, Xande Ribeiro (All previous ADCC Champions), Leandro Lo and Gordon Ryan, this division is stacked.
Hard to pick a winner amongst these names, Barral, Ribeiro and Popovich have the experience and that is very important in ADCC, they are however a little older than some on the division. Lo has a super strong Gi game and has done well in No Gi but it remains to be seen how he does under ADCC rules. Ryan has competed and won in many submission grappling events but has a spotty record against top level competition. His attacking game is dangerous but many times in ADCC those can be foiled.
Again bracketing is everything, especially in tough divisions like these, so depending on the bracketing I have Lo and one of the other 4 in the finals with a strong lean towards Pablo Popovich (his game suits ADCC rules).
Sleepers like Rustam Chisev and Jesse Urholin can cause upsets, and the ever enigmatic Keenan Cornelius, which many times comes to compete in less that top shape is a threat
-88kg
- Craig Jones (Australia) – 1st Asian Trial winner
- Jesse Urholin (Finland) – 1st European Trial winner
- James Brasco (USA) – 1st North American Trial winner
- Murilo Santana (Brazil) – 1st South American Trial winner
- Kaynan Casemiro Duarte (Brazil) – 2nd South American Trial winner
- Kit Dale (Australia) – 2nd Asian Trial winner
- John Salter (USA) – 2nd North American Trial winner
- Piotr Marcin Frechowicz (Poland) – 2nd European Trial winner
- Romulo Barral (Brazil) – Invited
- Keenan Cornelius (USA) – Invited
- Gordon Ryan (USA) – Invited
- Pablo Popovich (USA) – Invited
- Alexandre Ribeiro (Brazil) – Invited
- Leandro Lo (Brazil) – Invited
- Dillon Danis (USA) – Invited
- Rustam Chsiev (Russia) – Invited
