Looking Back: 5 Things To Know About The 2015 ADCC World Championship

The 2015 ADCC World Championship ran August 29–30 at the Ginásio Poliesportivo Mauro Pinheiro in São Paulo, Brazil. A decade on, it still gets cited as one of the more chaotic and memorable editions of the tournament — here's what's worth remembering.

1. Davi Ramos landed one of ADCC's all-time finishes

Davi Ramos won the 77kg division by submitting both Gilbert Burns and Lucas Lepri on the same day, capping the run with a flying armbar against Lepri in the final — still one of the most replayed finishes in ADCC history. See our armbar breakdown for the mechanics behind the entry.

2. Rodolfo Vieira was the busiest man in the building

Rodolfo Vieira won the 99kg division on the strength of relentless top pressure and wrestling, finishing the event with 7 total match wins — the most of any competitor at the tournament, and 3 of them by submission.

3. The absolute final was infamous for the wrong reasons

Orlando Sanchez won the absolute (open-weight) division, becoming one of only 10 Americans to ever take ADCC gold at that point. Getting there wasn't pretty: the semifinal between Joao Gabriel Rocha and Claudio Calasans has been called the most boring final in ADCC history, a stalling-heavy affair that helped push the federation toward the more aggressive advantage and negative-point rules used in later editions.

4. Ana Laura Cordeiro completed a five-year comeback

On the women's side, Jessica Oliveira upset reigning champion Gabi Garcia before falling to Ana Laura Cordeiro in the final. Cordeiro's win capped a remarkable comeback — after five years away from competition following a serious injury, she took both the IBJJF World Championship and ADCC gold in the same year.

5. Andre Galvao beat "Cyborg" Abreu in the Super Fight

The event's marquee Super Fight saw Andre Galvao defeat Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu by points, closing out a card that also included Gilbert Burns and Vinny Magalhaes taking bronze in their respective divisions. Across all 115 recorded matches at the event, points decided 54, submissions accounted for 35, and 24 went to decision — a spread that still shapes how no-gi grapplers are coached to close out close matches today.

Related Reading

• BJJ armbar guide — the submission behind Davi Ramos' 2015 finish
• Heel hook safety guide — how no-gi leg attacks evolved after events like this one
• IBJJF weight & rules calculator — see how modern weight classes compare to ADCC's
• No-gi rashguards & spats — gear built for submission-only competition