The ADCC West Coast Trials were the biggest trials in the promotion’s history. Over 1,000 of the best submission grapplers and jiu jitsu fighters from across North America converged on Las Vegas to see who would punch their ticket to the ADCC World Championships in September. While there were many standout performances from the event, Brianna Ste-Marie, Keith Krikorian, and Jacob Rodriguez were among the most memorable.  

Brianna Ste-Marie came into the West Coast trials as the top seed in the -60 kg division. She won the East Coast Trials last year, beating the always tough Alex Enriquez of Atos Jiu Jitsu in the final. Her road to gold at the West Coast Trials was not without its challenges. In one of her toughest matches of the tournament, she faced Raquel Canuto of CheckMat. Ste-Marie used her world-class closed guard game to get to high guard and a subsequent arm bar submission. In the semi-finals she faced Nathalie Ribeiro, another CheckMat standout. The match was razor close, but Ste-Marie earned a decision victory. The final was against Jasmine Rocha. Ste-Marie passed Rocha’s guard and nearly submitted her with a guillotine and a kata gatame. Ste-Marie won the match 3-0 and became the first female competitor to win ADCC trials events on both the east and west coasts.

Another outstanding performance at the West Coast Trials came from Keith Krikorian. The three-time ADCC Trials silver medalist was also the top seed in his division and was intent on earning his way to the World Championships. Also competing at 66 kg’s were Gianni Grippo, Josh Cisneros, Robert Diggle, Andrew Tackett, and Damien Anderson. Keith had seven matches on the day. His final was against Josh Cisneros of Ares, who hit a series of kneebars from the back that seemed to severely injure his opponents. The highly anticipated final did not go as long as expected. Keith got to the 50/50 position and locked in a heel hook. Josh did his best to fight out of it but was forced to tap shortly after Keith secured the lock. The win earned Keith his second appearance at the ADCC World Championships.

Blue belt Jacob Rodriguez entered the tough 88kg division and competed as if he were a seasoned black belt. Jacob had seven matches and six submissions on the day, a performance that has put the rest of the 88 kg field on notice. Although many competitors in the 88 kg division had more experience than Jacob, few could match his technique, athleticism, and tactics. Jacob faced Hunter Colvin of Brothers Jiu-Jitsu in the final. Hunter was coming off a win over the always tough David Garmo, and had plenty of momentum before his match with “JRod.” Hunter appeared to have a slight edge in the beginning of the match, getting around Jacob’s legs and nearly securing side control. Jacob, however, locked on a match ending buggy choke that earned his a spot at the ADCC World Championships in September. He was awarded his purple belt from Craig Jones following the impressive victory.

Full results for the West Coast Trials can be found below.

Male

66 kg – Keith Krikorian

77 kg – William Tackett

88 kg – Jacob Rodriguez

-99 kg – Paul Ardilla

+99 kg – Kyle Boehm

Female

-60kg – Brianna Ste. Marie

+60 kg – Amy Campo

For more ADCC news of the previous Brazil Trials:

ADCC Brazil Trials

-Hope you enjoyed hearing the recap from Team Progress Jiu Jitsu