By Philipp — Rollbook · Updated October 18, 2026
ADCC North American Trials 2026: Full Results & Qualified Athletes (Pomona)
Complete results from the 2nd ADCC North American Trials (West Coast) at the Pomona Fairplex on April 18-19, 2026 — all eight weight-class qualifiers for the ADCC 2026 World Championship in Krakow, plus standout storylines.
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ADCC North American Trials 2026 — West Coast Results
The 2nd ADCC North American Trials — the West Coast Trials — wrapped April 19 at the Fairplex Expo Hall 9 in Pomona, California. Five men and three women earned invitations to the ADCC 2026 World Championship, held at TAURON Arena in Krakow on September 12-13. Gianni Grippo, a three-time IBJJF No-Gi World Champion, returned to the ADCC stage with a points-perfect run at -66kg — his first ADCC invitation in 11 years. The full field, and how every athlete fared, is in our ADCC 2026 qualified athletes list.
Update (October 2026): ADCC 2026 is over. Sarah Galvão won silver at -65 kg and Paige Ivette Clymer bronze at +65 kg — the only medals won by North American Trials qualifiers. Results for all 13 North American qualifiers are in the table below, and every bracket is in our ADCC 2026 results and champions post.
Event at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Event | 2nd ADCC North American Trials 2026 (West Coast) |
| Dates | April 18-19, 2026 |
| Venue | Fairplex, Expo Hall 9 |
| Address | 1101 W McKinley Ave, Pomona, CA 91768 |
| Format | No-Gi Submission Grappling, Single Elimination |
| Qualifiers | 5 male + 3 female direct ADCC Worlds invites |
| Worlds | ADCC 2026, Krakow, Poland, September 12-13, 2026 |
How They Fared in Krakow
| Qualifier | Trials | Weight | Krakow Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gianni Grippo | West Coast | -66 kg | Quarterfinal — beat Felipe Machado 3-0, lost to Diego "Pato" Oliveira 0-6 |
| Michael Sainz | West Coast | -77 kg | Round of 16 — lost to Vagner Rocha on penalties |
| Nathan Haddad | West Coast | -88 kg | Quarterfinal — beat Gustavo Batista 3-0, submitted by Marlon Tajik |
| Elder Cruz | West Coast | -99 kg | Did not compete in Krakow |
| Nick Hartman | West Coast | +99 kg | Quarterfinal — beat Haisam Rida, submitted by Felipe Pena |
| Sheliah Lindsey | West Coast | -55 kg | Quarterfinal — lost to Ana Mayordomo 0-3 |
| Sarah Galvão | West Coast | -65 kg | Silver — lost the final to Ana Carolina Vieira in double overtime |
| Paige Ivette Clymer | West Coast | +65 kg | Bronze |
| Dorian Olivarez | East Coast | -66 kg | Disqualified after the Day 1 brawl; one-year ADCC ban |
| Jacob Bornemann | East Coast | -77 kg | 4th |
| Jon Blank | East Coast | -88 kg | Round of 16 — lost to Gabriel Brod 0-9 |
| Achilles Rocha | East Coast | -99 kg | 4th |
| Brandon Reed | East Coast | +99 kg | Round of 16 — submitted by Roosevelt Sousa |
Steffen Banta, whom Cruz beat in the Pomona final, competed at -99 kg in Krakow on an invitation and reached the quarterfinal, where he lost on penalties to eventual champion Luke Griffith. Results per FloGrappling's final brackets.
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Men's Qualifiers
| Weight | Qualifier | Team | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| -66 kg | Gianni Grippo | Bodega JJ | def. Dominic Mejia via short choke |
| -77 kg | Michael Sainz | Alpha Miami | def. Maximilian Hanson by decision |
| -88 kg | Nathan Haddad | Core Combat Sports | def. Ryan Aitken by penalties |
| -99 kg | Elder Cruz (Honduras) | Checkmat | def. Steffen Banta by penalty |
| +99 kg | Nick Hartman | Zenith | def. Francis Pana via straight ankle lock |
Elder Cruz was not in the Krakow field; Steffen Banta competed at -99 kg on an invitation instead. Dominic Mejia and Francis Pana, beaten in Pomona finals, also made Krakow on invitations — Mejia finished 4th at -66 kg.
Women's Qualifiers
| Weight | Qualifier | Team | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| -55 kg | Sheliah Lindsey | Magness BJJ | def. Valerie Hamilton 3-0 by decision |
| -65 kg | Sarah Galvão | Atos | def. Jadeya Reber via rear naked choke |
| +65 kg | Paige Ivette Clymer | Legion | def. Elizabeth Mitrovic by decision |
Storylines from Pomona
Gianni Grippo's 11-year return
At 34, three-time IBJJF No-Gi World Champion Gianni Grippo (Bodega JJ) ran the table at -66kg — seven matches, zero points conceded, finishing the final over Dominic Mejia with a short choke. It was Grippo's first ADCC invite in 11 years and the loudest storyline of the West Coast Trials. In Krakow he beat Felipe Machado 3-0 before top seed Diego "Pato" Oliveira stopped him 6-0 in the quarterfinal.
Nathan Haddad's 6-0 comeback
In the -88kg semifinal, Nathan Haddad (Core Combat Sports) climbed out of a 6-0 hole against Jayden Groner to win by armbar, then took the final over Ryan Aitken by penalties. A textbook Trials run — survive a near-loss, capitalize on the next opponent's fatigue.
Sheliah Lindsey's submission spree
Sheliah Lindsey (Magness BJJ) submitted five of her six opponents on the way to gold at -55kg, edging Valerie Hamilton in the final by decision. The deepest submission run of the women's brackets.
Sarah Galvão, no points allowed
Sarah Galvão (Atos) conceded zero points across five matches at -65kg, finishing in the final with a rear naked choke. Two weeks later she added a Brasileiro gold at -64kg (Brasileiros 2026 results). In Krakow she went all the way to the -65 kg final, beating Livia Barasine and Joslyn Molina before Ana Carolina Vieira finished her with a rear-naked choke in double overtime.
Nick Hartman's finishing rate
Nick Hartman (Zenith) finished four of his five opponents at +99kg, capping his Trials with a straight ankle lock over Francis Pana. Hartman's leg-attack game travels especially well to ADCC rules.
How Qualification Works
The qualification format at ADCC Trials is straightforward: win your weight class and you go to Worlds.
- Single elimination — no consolation bracket. One loss and you are out.
- Full ADCC rules — split-points system, no points in the first half, points active in the second.
- Match duration — under ADCC's current rulebook, Trials qualifying rounds are 6 minutes (3 minutes without points, then 3 with points), with a 3-minute overtime if needed.
- Finals run longer: 8 minutes (4 + 4), with a 4-minute overtime, and negative points count from the start.
- One winner per weight class earns the Worlds invitation.
Weight Classes
The Trials use the same weight classes as the ADCC World Championship.
Men's Divisions
| Division | Weight Limit |
|---|---|
| Division 1 | Under 66 kg (145.2 lbs) |
| Division 2 | Under 77 kg (169.8 lbs) |
| Division 3 | Under 88 kg (194 lbs) |
| Division 4 | Under 99 kg (218.3 lbs) |
| Division 5 | Over 99 kg (218.3 lbs) |
Women's Divisions
| Division | Weight Limit |
|---|---|
| Division 1 | Under 55 kg (121.3 lbs) |
| Division 2 | Under 65 kg (143.3 lbs) |
| Division 3 | Over 65 kg (143.3 lbs) |
1st North American Trials (East Coast, 2025) — for context
The North American cycle started with the East Coast Trials in Orlando on November 15-16, 2025. Those men's winners qualified directly:
| Weight | East Coast Winner | Notable |
|---|---|---|
| -66 kg | Dorian Olivarez | |
| -77 kg | Jacob Bornemann | 7 matches, zero points conceded |
| -88 kg | Jon Blank | |
| -99 kg | Achilles Rocha | 5 matches, zero points conceded |
| +99 kg | Brandon Reed |
Women's East Coast winners (Ana Mayordomo at -55, Morgan Black at -65, Maia Matalon at +65) secured travel to the West Coast Trials rather than direct ADCC Worlds invites — the three women's Worlds invitations from North America were settled in Pomona. Two of them still made Krakow on invitations: Mayordomo won bronze at -55 kg and Black finished 4th at -65 kg.
Together with the East Coast men, that made 13 North American Trials qualifiers for Krakow, 12 of whom competed.
What Made ADCC Trials Different
For readers wondering why the Pomona results played out the way they did — Trials under ADCC rules don't reward the same game that wins at IBJJF.
- No points in the first half of qualifying matches — pure submission hunting.
- Points in the second half — takedowns and sweeps (2), guard passes (3), back mount (3), mount (2), knee on belly (2).
- Guard pulling = -1 penalty — wrestling and takedowns are mandatory, not optional.
- Nearly all submissions legal — heel hooks, leg locks, toe holds and more (neck cranks that trap both shoulders, like a full nelson, are not allowed).
- Stalling actively penalized. A match still tied after overtime goes to the referees, whose first criterion is which athlete initiated the action.
That ruleset is why Grippo's zero-points-conceded run looks the way it does — the second-half points window is small, and a points-denial game plan is viable. It's also why so many Pomona finals ended in penalties: the rules don't tolerate inaction.
For a fuller rules comparison vs. IBJJF, see the ADCC 2026 World Championship guide.
What Came Next
The West Coast Trials closed out North American qualification for ADCC 2026. The Pomona qualifiers joined the East Coast winners and the direct invitees in Krakow on September 12-13, 2026, after the final qualifying event of the cycle, the 2nd Asia and Oceania Trials, on June 21 in Carrara, Australia.
See the ADCC 2026 qualified athletes list for the complete cross-region field and every placement, and the ADCC 2026 results and champions post for how Krakow played out.
Key Takeaway
The 2nd ADCC North American Trials in Pomona produced eight ADCC 2026 qualifiers: Gianni Grippo, Michael Sainz, Nathan Haddad, Elder Cruz, Nick Hartman, Sheliah Lindsey, Sarah Galvão, and Paige Ivette Clymer. Seven of them competed in Krakow, where Galvão won silver at -65 kg and Clymer bronze at +65 kg; Grippo, Haddad and Hartman each won a match before losing in the quarterfinals. Grippo's 11-year ADCC return, Haddad's 6-0 comeback, and Galvão's points-perfect run were the Pomona standouts.
Preparing for a future ADCC Trials or your next no-gi competition? Download Rollbook to log every session in seconds, log competition days as their own session type and note how they went, and see which techniques you drill most. Rollbook is free on iOS and Android.
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