Adele Fornarino is out of ADCC 2026 to compete in UFC BJJ's flyweight grand prix instead, the fourth reigning champion to skip the September event in Krakow. The pattern says something important about where elite grappling money is actually going.
Reviewed by BJJ Gyms · Updated 2026-07-27
Figures from Yahoo Sports' reporting on the ADCC 2026 roster changes and prior reporting on departing champions.
Adele Fornarino has been removed from the ADCC 2026 women's -55kg bracket. In her place, ADCC has slotted in Valerie Wong Hamilton, who earned her spot as a Trials silver medalist. Fornarino, meanwhile, is headed to UFC BJJ, where she is set to face Carol Brunacio in the semifinals of the promotion's first women's flyweight grand prix on August 20.
On its own, one champion skipping a tournament is not a major story. But Fornarino is now the fourth reigning ADCC champion who will not be back to defend a title in Krakow this September, and that number is what turns this from a roster footnote into a real trend worth paying attention to.
The pattern behind these departures is not really about scheduling conflicts or personal preference. UFC BJJ has been signing top grapplers to exclusive contracts, and those contracts are now doing exactly what they were designed to do, pulling talent away from ADCC's roster entirely. The result is stark. As things stand, zero current UFC BJJ champions are competing at ADCC 2026, a promotion that has spent years positioning itself as the sport's premier open competition for the best grapplers regardless of where else they compete.
For fans, this is the clearest sign yet that grappling has entered an era with real competing leagues, not just one dominant tournament everyone shows up for. That is not necessarily bad for the sport long term, but it does mean the biggest names are getting spread across more than one banner.
Fornarino's exit does not happen in isolation. Earlier this month, reporting also flagged multiple other former ADCC champions who will not be defending their titles in Krakow, including names who have stepped away for reasons ranging from personal priorities to off-mat controversies within their teams. Ticket sales for the September event have reportedly been slower than expected as a result, which suggests fans are noticing the pattern too.
None of this makes the September event meaningless. Brackets reshuffling because of departures also opens the door for less established competitors to make a real name for themselves on the sport's biggest historical stage, and that storyline is its own kind of compelling.
It is easy to treat contract disputes and roster politics as background noise if you are just trying to get better at jiu-jitsu yourself, but stories like this one are a reminder of how much the sport has grown. There is now enough money in elite grappling that promotions are competing directly for the same athletes, something that would have been unthinkable a decade ago when ADCC was essentially the only major stage.
That growth trickles down. More competing organizations means more visibility for grappling as a sport, which tends to mean more people walking into gyms wanting to learn what they just watched on a stream. If that is you, the actual first step is simple: find a BJJ gym near you and try a class, no contract negotiations required.
Fornarino's move is the latest example, but here is the broader picture of why so many top names aren't on the September card.
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She has signed to compete in UFC BJJ's inaugural women's flyweight grand prix instead, facing Carol Brunacio in the semifinals on August 20.
Valerie Wong Hamilton, a Trials silver medalist, was added to the women's -55kg division in Fornarino's place.
Fornarino is the fourth reigning ADCC champion confirmed absent from the September event in Krakow, Poland.
The ADCC World Championship takes place September 12-13, 2026, at Tauron Arena in Krakow, Poland.