Birth of ADCC

The Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) Submission Wrestling World Championship was founded in 1998 by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates, a passionate BJJ practitioner. Unlike IBJJF tournaments, ADCC focused exclusively on no-gi submission grappling and welcomed competitors from all grappling arts, including wrestling, sambo, judo, and catch wrestling.

ADCC quickly became the most prestigious no-gi tournament in the world. Its unique ruleset encouraged submissions and dynamic action, rewarding athletes who could adapt across styles. Winning an ADCC title became one of the highest honors in grappling, and the tournament’s influence helped accelerate the rise of no-gi grappling as its own global discipline alongside traditional gi-based BJJ.