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Complete Guide to ADCC Weight Classes and Unique Rules
- Weight classes
- ADCC
- ADCC rules
With the 2026 ADCC World Championship approaching, it's a good time to break down the ADCC weight classes and how they work. The gaps between weight classes in ADCC are larger than most people expect. One division has no upper limit at all (+99kg), and the Absolute weight class removes weight limits from the equation entirely. On top of that, there are some unique rules in ADCC that you don’t see anywhere else, we’ll go over all of those details in this article.
What are the ADCC Weight classes?
It's fairly simple: the lightest class tops out at 65.9 kg, and it goes all the way up to the Absolute division. The weight classes go like this:
Men's weight classes
- -65.9 kg (145.3 lb)
- -76.9 kg (169.5 lb)
- -87.9 kg (193.8 lb)
- -98.9 kg (218.0 lb)
- +99 kg (218.3 lb)
- Absolute division (open weight)
Women's weight classes
- 55 kg (121.3 lb)
- 65 kg (143.3 lb)
- +65 kg (143.3 lb)
- Absolute division (open weight)
How the weight classes actually work
When thinking about weight classes, see it as the ceiling that the competitor is fighting under. You could be 89 kg and still fight in the 98.9 kg weight class, even though the upper limit is nearly 10 kg away.
The higher weight classes and the Absolute division are where you find the greatest disparities. The +99 kg class acts as a floor, not a ceiling, meaning you can be much heavier than 99 kg with no upper limit.
Then the Absolute division throws the entire system out the window. It allows a sub-65.9 kg competitor to go head-to-head with someone well above +99 kg.
What makes ADCC different?
Compared to IBJJF, ADCC has much larger gaps between weight classes. Men have 5 weight classes compared to IBJJF's 9, and women have 3 compared to IBJJF's 9. This makes weight disparities more apparent even within your own weight class, since the jump to the next one is around 11 kg. This isn't to say it's all bad. It definitely keeps things easier to follow and makes winning your weight class harder, but more rewarding, since there's more competition within it.
How does ADCC do weigh-ins?
Weigh-ins usually happen a day or two before competition. Athletes step on the scale in their fight gear to confirm they're under the limit for their weight class, and once they make weight, they've got the rest of the day and night to recover and rehydrate before competing.
Weight cut disparities
Nearly all combat sports deal with weight classes feeling unfair at times. This is because you can have one fighter walking around at 87 kg, and another fighter who is naturally around 97 kg and cuts down to 87 right before a fight. This creates a huge disparity between strength and actual capability, because realistically you're fighting someone much stronger, just without the extra water weight.
Special Rules and Regulations
ADCC has its own special rules that make the federation unique, as most federations do. Here are the special rules and regulations that make ADCC stand out.
Split-half scoring
Regular matches run 10 minutes of regulation, split into two 5-minute halves. The first 5 minutes are scoreless entirely, neither positive nor negative points count, so it's essentially a feeling-out period where each fighter tests the other. The second 5 minutes open up: takedowns, guard passes, mount, and back control all score, and negative points, like stalling penalties, count too. If the match is still tied after those 10 minutes, it goes to a single 5-minute overtime with full scoring, positive and negative, the whole time.
So the total breakdown is 5 minutes no-score, 5 minutes with points, and, if needed, 5 minutes overtime.
Finals match timing 10x10x10
Finals, absolute finals, and the Superfights follow the same idea, just doubled in length. Each half runs 10 minutes instead of 5. During the first half, positive points still don't count, but negative points already do, so stalling costs you even before scoring technically opens up. The second half plays out like a regular match, full scoring across the board. If it's still tied after that 20 minutes, it goes to overtime, up to two rounds of 10 minutes each, with full scoring the entire time.
Superfights
Superfights exist outside the bracket as a standalone match, and it's the most hyped-up fight of the entire weekend. It works a bit like king of the hill, except it plays out over multiple years. There's a reigning champion from previous editions, and you only get a shot at the title if you won the Absolute division two years earlier. That makes for a strange setup, where a competitor's superfight gets locked in two years before it actually happens.
ADCC 2026 Superfights
More on the superfight for 2026: In 2024, Gordon Ryan defended his title against Yuri Simões and won. Since then, Gordon has retired, leaving the title vacant. So instead of defending against a champion, Kaynan Duarte (who earned his shot by winning the 2024 Absolute) will now face Yuri as a substitute opponent. This is the first time a superfight title has been vacated in 17 years, making this year's matchup a little different from the usual setup.
The Weigh-In Countdown
The 2026 ADCC World Championship will be held the weekend of September 12-13 at the Tauron Arena in Kraków, Poland, the first time the event has ever been held there. Weigh-ins take place on Friday the 11th, from 7am to 8pm in Poland. You can catch all the matches live on FloGrappling, and we have a live tracker of the matches on the site here. If you want to know which athletes to watch, we've got a separate post breaking down the names to look out for in every division.
ADCC Weight Classes and Rules FAQ
Men compete across five weight classes: -65.9 kg, -76.9 kg, -87.9 kg, -98.9 kg and +99 kg. Women compete across three: -55 kg, -65 kg and +65 kg. Both also have an Absolute division with no weight limit. For comparison, IBJJF runs nine adult weight classes for each gender, so the gaps between ADCC divisions are roughly twice as wide.
Regular bracket matches run 10 minutes, split into two halves. Finals run longer, with two 10-minute halves and full scoring throughout. If a final is still tied, it goes to overtime of up to two additional 10-minute rounds.
The first half is a feeling-out period where neither competitor can score positive points. The format is designed to reward early submission attempts rather than point-hunting, since waiting for the second half means competing while more fatigued. Negative points still apply in the first half, so a competitor can go into the scoring period already behind.
The Absolute is an open-weight bracket that removes weight limits entirely. A competitor from the lightest division can end up facing someone from +99 kg. Winning it also matters beyond the medal, because the Absolute champion earns a superfight title shot at the following World Championship two years later.
The superfight sits outside the brackets as a standalone match between the reigning superfight champion and the winner of the previous Absolute division. Because the challenger qualifies two years in advance, the matchup is effectively locked in long before the event. It runs like king of the hill: the champion keeps the title until someone takes it.
Weigh-ins take place a day or two before competition. Athletes weigh in wearing their fight gear and simply need to be under the limit for their division. Once they make weight they have the rest of the day and overnight to rehydrate and recover before their first match.
