BJJ News — adcc-trials

Six first-timers headed to Krakow. That alone was the story.

For a sport obsessed with lineage and legacy, grappling had a blind spot the size of the Tasman Sea. New Zealand had never—not once—produced a winner at an ADCC Trials event.

Something genuinely disorienting happened in a packed expo hall in Pomona. Gianni Grippo walked into the ADCC West Coast Trials at 34 years old, entered the -66kg division, and walked out 7-0 with an ADCC invitation in hand.

That's how long Mason Fowler and Devhonte Johnson have been waiting for a do-over, and on June 4, 2026, they're finally getting one. Except it's not really a do-over.