The pound-for-pound number one grappler in the world just confirmed she is skipping her usual bracket to compete in the loaded over 65kg division at ADCC 2026, a decision that doubles down on wrestling over her old guard-first identity.
Reviewed by BJJ Gyms · Updated 2026-07-27
Figures from Crevar's own comments and ADCC 2026 division entries; verify current brackets closer to the September event.
In most sports moving up a weight class means eating more and getting stronger. In grappling it usually means something closer to the opposite: fighting people who are naturally bigger than you while still trying to cut enough that the matchup makes sense on paper. Crevar sits at 163 to 165 pounds walking around, so sliding into the 143-plus bracket at ADCC 2026 means shedding roughly 20 pounds of her natural weight, not adding it.
That is a very different kind of preparation than staying in a lower bracket where her frame is already an advantage. It also puts her directly in the path of some of the most decorated women in the sport's history, since the over 65kg group has traditionally been where the heaviest hitters in women's grappling live.
The more interesting part of Crevar's comments is not the number on the scale, it is what she says she has been working on. She described training twice daily and putting real hours into her wrestling since relocating her training base, on top of the guard game that made her one of the most feared bottom players in the sport.
Her own framing is that she wants to be a threat from both positions rather than a specialist who needs to pull guard to feel comfortable. That is a meaningful evolution for any high-level competitor, and it lines up with a broader trend in modern no-gi grappling where takedowns and top control increasingly decide close matches, not just submissions from the back.
Moving up puts Crevar in range of Rafaela Guedes, the reigning ADCC women's over 65kg champion defending her title in Krakow, and four-time champion Gabi Garcia, who is also expected back in the division chasing a fifth gold. Both are proven, physical competitors who have built their careers on exactly the kind of top pressure Crevar says she has been building toward.
There is also unfinished business closer to her usual weight. Crevar and Paige Ivette Clymer, the West Coast Trials winner, already met once this month with Crevar taking a decision, and both are expected in the same general bracket picture at ADCC. A rematch under a bigger spotlight would not be a surprise.
You do not need ADCC ambitions to take something from this. Crevar's decision reflects a philosophy a lot of good coaches preach at the amateur level too: do not let one strong position become a crutch. If guard-pulling has become your default because it is comfortable, that is worth examining the same way a world-class competitor is examining it under far more pressure.
It is also a reminder that weight class in grappling is a strategic choice, not just a body-composition fact. If you are deciding whether to compete at your walking weight or cut, talk it through with your coaches the way Crevar clearly has with hers. Find a BJJ gym near you and ask how they handle competition weight planning before your first tournament, not the week of it.
A weight class jump this public rarely happens without a real strategic reason behind it. Here is what to watch for between now and Krakow.
BJJ Gyms is an independent directory, not a gym. We feature 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu as our recommended no-gi system. Always take a free trial and vet any academy yourself before committing.
The ADCC World Championship runs September 12 to 13, 2026, at the Tauron Arena in Krakow, Poland.
It is the top women's weight bracket, roughly 143 pounds and up, historically home to the sport's biggest and most physically dominant female competitors.
No, this is a jump up from the bracket she has typically competed in, which is why the cut from her walking weight is notable.
Not at all. Weight-class strategy only matters once you are competing seriously; beginners train and roll without any cutting involved. A good gym will walk you through competition options only once you are ready.