Recently, BJJ has had its fair share of rising talents showcased in the grappling world. As the sport becomes more prevalent, it also calls for the attention of the younger generation, increasing the number of younger talents getting hooked up in BJJ. Elite grapplers can be found in different areas of the world, and luckily, prestigious competition mats like the IBJJF and the ADCC world stage are there to help settle who’s best.
The elite grappling competition we see in high-profile events is filled with grapplers who have been training multiple times a day, 6 times a week, some who may have been training since they were kids. Others also come from grappling backgrounds like Judo, Wrestling, and Sambo. Despite the numerous competitive factors, talents will arise through hard work and perseverance, bringing new stars to the limelight. In no particular order, below are some of the fastest-rising BJJ stars that should be on your lookout.
1) Cole Abate
Cole Abate is a 20-year-old AOJ (Art of Jiu-Jitsu) phenom under the tutelage of the Mendes brothers. Commonly known as “Ice Cole,” he made his first mark in the IBJJF circuit while competing in the junior and juvenile divisions, winning important titles like the Worlds, Pans, and European Championships. However, his breakout was when he won the ADCC East Coast Trials as a 16-year-old blue belt at the time.
2) Jozef Chen
Jozef is a 20-year-old grappler of Taiwanese and German heritage. He currently competes under the B-Team Jiu-Jitsu banner, but his rise started when he won a bronze medal at the ADCC Asia & Oceania Trials in 2022. He then won gold at the ADCC European Trials the following year. With just a few years of formal Jiu-Jitsu training, Jozef won one of the toughest grappling tournaments, making himself known as one of the hottest talents in the current generation.
3) Mica Galvao
With many referring to Mica as the next Marcelo Garcia of the current generation, he is a 21-year-old black belt from Manaus, Brazil, with numerous prestigious titles both in the juvenile and adult divisions. His rise started when he defeated an IBJJF black belt champion when he was only 15 years old. During his 2024 competition run, Mica achieved the Super Grand Slam, winning all 4 major tournaments in the IBJJF circuit (Worlds, Pan, European, and Brazilian Nationals) and the ADCC World Championship, making him the second athlete in the history of Jiu-Jitsu to achieve this feat.
4) Luke Griffith
Luke Griffith is a 24-year-old South African grappler who represents the New Wave Jiu-Jitsu crew under the guidance of John Danaher, Gordon Ryan, and Garry Tonon. He made his first wave in the grappling circuit by winning the 2022 ADCC European & African Trials. He also won the trials the following year and secured a second-place finish in the 2024 ADCC World Championship. As a colored belt, Luke won many important IBJJF circuit tournaments, such as the Worlds, Pan, and European Championship in No-Gi.
5) Tainan Dalpra
Tainan Dalpra is also a representative of AOJ under the guidance of Gui and Rafael Mendes. The 24-year-old black belt was one of the first athletes accepted by the Believe & Achieve program of the Mendes Brothers. He gained traction in the BJJ circuit by winning important tournaments in the IBJJF, which started when he was a colored belt. Now competing in the black belt division, Tainan repeated his colored belt achievements by becoming a multiple-time IBJJF World, Pan, and European Champion.
6) Dorian Olivarez
Born on December 6, 2005, Dorian is primarily a folkstyle wrestler who also competes in submission grappling. A complete grappler with an insane gas tank, Dorian holds significant wins in both sports and won medals in the IBJJF World, Pan Championships and IBJJF American Nationals in the juvenile division. Under the tutelage of many top coaches, he won the ADCC East Coast trials in 2023 at 17, beating seasoned veterans like Gianni Grippo and Ethan Crelinsten.
7) Andrew Tackett
Andrew Tackett is a 21-year-old grappler competing under the Brazilian Fight Factory gym (an affiliate team of Checkmat). He made his name known in the No-Gi circuit by competing in different submission-only competitions and winning the IBJJF World Championship as a purple and brown belt. Making a statement, Andrew also won the ADCC West Coast Trials and other exciting tournaments like the ADCC Open, WNO, and AIGA with a submission-oriented approach to grappling.
8) Jacob Rodriguez
Commonly known as Jay-Rod, Jacob Rodriguez is a former folkstyle wrestler and the brother of another grappling superstar, Nick Rodriguez. Competing under B-Team, the 22-year-old gained notoriety by winning the ADCC West Coast Trials in 2022 as a blue belt. In the 2024 ADCC, he won second place after facing the reigning champion, Giancarlo Bodoni, in the finals.
9) Helena Crevar
Helena is a 18-year-old grappling student of John Danaher, competing under New Wave Jiu-Jitsu. Despite being a teenager, Helena has defeated some of the best competitors in her weight class. She was the youngest ADCC World Championship medalist, winning silver in the 2024 ADCC, and was the first female athlete to successfully submit an opponent with the heel hook in the ADCC female division.
10) Fabricio Andrey
Fabricio Andrey, widely known as “Hokage,” is a 24-year-old Jiu-Jitsu black belt from Manaus, Brazil. He is known for his electrifying matches and gameness, even when competing against heavier opponents. As one of the most dynamic grapplers in the last decade, Fabricio Andrey has won important titles in the IBJJF circuit, such as the World, European Championships, as well as the Brazilian Nationals. Additionally, he has won the ADCC South American Trials, which is known as one of the most demanding ADCC trials in the world.
11) Roberto Jimenez
Roberto Jimenez is a 24-year-old Jiu-Jitsu black belt of Ecuadorian and American descent. He is widely known as one of the most exciting athletes of the current generation with his submission-oriented game and willingness to step up against heavier opponents. He has won numerous IBJJF World and Pans Championships and American Nationals as a juvenile and in his colored belt run. Roberto was also an ADCC South American Trials winner and has competed in the 2022 ADCC.
12) Kaynan Duarte
Kaynan is one of the best grapplers of the current generation. At only 27, Kayna is a multiple-time ADCC and IBJJF world champion. He is one of the main competitors of team Atos Jiu-Jitsu under the guidance of the legendary grappler Andre Galvao. Kaynan’s BJJ breakthrough was after winning the 2017 ADCC South American trials as a purple belt and continued to become one of the top competitors of the modern era.
The list mainly consists of modern grapplers who’ve had their breakouts in their juvenile, teenage, and early 20s. Grapplers who have been stars since competing in the kid’s division were considered but were not included in the list.
Conclusion
At the current pace of development in BJJ, it’s unsurprising that we will see an increasing number of talents emerge into the grappling limelight in the following years. As the younger generation gets more involved, with easier access to academies and online knowledge from videos and instructionals, it can be safe to say that the future of grappling is in good hands.
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