ADCC South American Trials Results: Fabricio Andrey, Roberto Jimenez Impress

The second ADCC South American Trials took place on Saturday, February 12, live from Sao Paulo. Seven athletes punched their ticket to the 2022 ADCC World Championships, among them were fan-favorites Fabricio Andrey and Roberto Jimenez, who both racked up plenty of submissions on their way to Trials gold.

In the women’s 60-kg. division, Unity Jiu-Jitsu’s Mayssa Bastos continued to show why many consider her the best female grappler on the planet, as she used her complex guard game to capture gold, all while giving up significant size to most of her opponents. And in the women’s heavyweight division, Project Dream Art’s Giovanna Jara impressed on her way to winning gold; the 18-year old will look to use her physicality and scrambling ability when she makes her ADCC debut later this year.

Last week, 66-kg. competitor Fabricio Andrey lost in the semifinals to his teammate and eventual Trials winner Diogo Reis. This week, the second time around, Andrey submitted all five of his opponents, making the claim for the sport’s most entertaining competitor.

At 77-kg., fan-favorite Roberto Jimenez secured five submissions in six matches take home gold. Jimenez displayed his trademark back-taking throughout the day, all while showcasing improved wrestling and ever-improving leg lock defense.

The 88-kg. division saw relative unknown Alexandre “Robinho” de Jesus use his wrestling and physicality to capture gold. His back-and-forth finals match with veteran Rafael Paganini was a highlight of the event.

Just one week after earning second at the first South American Trials, Henrique Ceconi finished the job, securing a spectacular submission in the finals of the 99-kg. division to earn a spot at his first-ever ADCC World Championships.

Finally, in the heavyweight division, accomplished gi competitor Gutemberg Pereira of GF Team looked plenty comfortable in no-gi, submitting four opponents in as many matches to take home gold.

Second ADCC South American Trials division winners:

  • Mayssa Bastos (-60 kg.)
  • Giovanna Jara (+60 kg.)
  • Fabricio Andrey (-66 kg.)
  • Roberto Jimenez (-77 kg.)
  • Alexandre “Robinho” De Jesus (-88 kg.)
  • Henrique Ceconi (-99 kg.)
  • Gutemberg Pereira (+99 kg.)

Ben Coate

Ben has been involved with grappling, whether through wrestling or Brazilian jiu-jitsu, essentially his entire life. After wrestling throughout his childhood, Ben found Brazilian jiu-jitsu as a young adult and quickly fell in love. He has been training for over ten years and holds the rank of black belt, and remains involved in both the MMA and BJJ scene. Ben has been writing about combat sports since 2017. He has interviewed and profiled some of MMA's biggest stars, including multiple UFC champions.

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