Grappling Bulletin: Gabi At ADCC, Jiu-Jitsu Con, UFC BJJ, & More

A roundup of the smaller stories worth knowing about this week in grappling.

Gabi Pessanha Honored By The Brazilian Air Force

Gabi Pessanha received the Medalha de Mérito Desportivo Militar (Military Sports Merit Medal) from the Brazilian Air Force in recognition of her achievements on the mat — a rare crossover honor for a competitor, and a sign of how far BJJ's profile has grown in Brazil beyond the gi and no-gi competition circuit itself.

Jiu-Jitsu Con Runs Alongside Master Worlds

IBJJF's Jiu-Jitsu Con returns August 28–30 in Las Vegas, overlapping with the 2026 World Master Championship at the Convention Center — one of the busiest single weekends on the jiu-jitsu calendar, combining vendor booths, seminars, and fan meetups with the Masters brackets themselves.

UFC BJJ Keeps Growing

The UFC BJJ series continues to draw crossover interest from the wider combat sports audience, giving grappling-focused athletes a broadcast stage outside the traditional IBJJF and ADCC calendars — part of a broader trend of BJJ competitions borrowing production and promotion playbooks from MMA.

Related Reading

• World Master IBJJF 2026 schedule — dates and venue details for the event running alongside Jiu-Jitsu Con
• No-gi rashguards & spats — gear for both gi and no-gi competition
• Technique library — the fundamentals behind this week's headlines