ADCC European, Middle East, and African Trials Results and Recap
On Saturday, the first Trials event leading up to the 2022 ADCC Championships took place in Poznan, Poland. Winners of the ADCC European, Middle East, and African Trials punched their ticket to the ADCC Championships, scheduled for September 2022 in Las Vegas, NV.
Below are the results from the finals of each adult division.
66kg – Ashley Williams def. Gairbeg Ibragimov via points (3-0)
After a back-and-forth regulation period that saw Ashley Williams attacking a bicep slicer for over a minute, Williams took advantage of a poorly-timed takedown attempt from Gairbeg Ibragimov to secure the back and a points victory. A three-weight Polaris champion, Williams is one of Europe’s best no-gi competitors; this will be his first trip to the ADCC Championships
77kg – Oliver Taza def. Magomed Dzharbaev via points (2-0)
Oliver Taza spent essentially the entire match attacking from his back, looking to enter into a leg entanglement, with Magomed Dzharbaev moving backward and defending before he was issued a penalty point for passivity. Once Dzharbaev engaged in Taza’s guard, Taza was able to secure a sweep late in the match, earning him the only two points he would need to win within regulation. Taza was a 2017 ADCC Trials winner, and this will be his third trip to the ADCC Championships.
88kg – Eoghan O’Flanagan def. Thomas Loubersanes via submission (heel hook)
In the finals of the 88kg division, Britain’s Eoghan O’Flanagan picked up his fifth of five heel hooks on the day, defeating Thomas Loubersanes and punching his ticket to his first ADCC Championships. O’Flanagan didn’t disguise his game plan, immediately sitting to guard and constantly looking for leg entanglements from a seated butterfly guard. Just over halfway through the match, Lourbersanes engaged just a bit too much, and O’Flanagan was able to invert into a deep leg entanglement and quickly secured an inside heel hook.
99kg – Perttu Tepponen def. Samuel Karas via points (3-0)
Finland’s Perttu Tepponen showed off a methodical, composed game in the finals against a game Samuel Karas. With just over three minutes remaining in the match, Tepponen was able to break a 0-0 tie when he secured Karas’ back. Karas was able to escape relatively quickly, though, and worked for the final minutes on the feet, desperately trying to take Tepponen down. And although Karas came close, Tepponen’s takedown defense held up down the stretch, giving him his first trip to the ADCC Championships.
+99kg – Heikki Jussila def. Mateusz Juskowiak via points
In a rematch of the 2019 European Trials, Heikki Jussila was able to win the referee’s decision over Mateusz Juskowiak in a tepid affair that took place entirely on the feet, with Jussila ever-so-slightly outworking Juskowiak in terms of work rate and takedown attempts. This will Jussila’s first trip to an ADCC Championship.
Women’s 60kg – Peyton Letcher def. Ashley Bendle via submission (rear-naked choke)
South Africa’s Peyton Letcher impressed in the finals with a huge harai goshi takedown into back control on Ashley Bendle early in the match. From there, Letcher secured a tight body triangle before sinking in a rear-naked choke just moments later, punching her ticket to her first ADCC Championships.
Women’s +60kg – Magdalena Loska def. Slavka Holubjakova via submission (kneebar)
In the finals of the heavier women’s division, Magdalena Loska looked dominant, securing mount position on Slavka Holubjakova and three points soon after points came into play. Holubjakova was able to escape to her feet, but Loska quickly jumped on a kneebar in transition, securing the tap with just over 90 seconds remaining. This will be Loska’s first trip to the ADCC Championships.
