Grappling

Grappling

Stats

Governing body
Abu Dhabi Combat Club

Grappling is the broad family of combat sports and martial arts disciplines that focus on controlling, taking down, and submitting an opponent without striking. Drawing from wrestling, BJJ, judo, sambo, and catch wrestling, modern competitive grappling—particularly no-gi submission grappling—has emerged as one of the most technically demanding and fastest-growing combat sports in the world. The ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship is its pinnacle event.

History

From Folk Wrestling to Modern Grappling

Grappling as a concept is as old as human conflict - every culture developed its own wrestling tradition. In the modern combat sports context, 'grappling' emerged as a distinct competitive category in the 1990s, driven by the explosion of BJJ and MMA. As fighters from different backgrounds met in competition, a new synthesis emerged - a style-neutral submission grappling approach that drew the best techniques from every grappling art.

Catch wrestling - a 19th-century professional wrestling style that allowed all submissions, including heel hooks and neck cranks - was a major early influence. Its practitioners toured the world taking on all challengers, and many of its techniques were absorbed into BJJ and later No-Gi grappling. Figures like Karl Gotch brought catch wrestling to Japan, influencing generations of Japanese professional wrestlers and submission grapplers.

ADCC and the Rise of No-Gi

The Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) Submission Wrestling World Championship, founded in 1998 by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, became the sport's defining event. Held every two years, ADCC brings together the world's best grapplers from BJJ, wrestling, Judo and Sambo backgrounds in No-Gi competition with limited points and a focus on submissions. Winning ADCC is the highest achievement in submission grappling.

The 2010s and 2020s saw a new generation of specialists - led by Gordon Ryan - push No-Gi grappling to extraordinary technical heights. Organisations like Polaris, Who's Number One (WNO), Quintet and EBI created a professional grappling circuit attracting dedicated audiences and serious prize money for the first time.

Gordon Ryan and the Modern Era

Gordon Ryan is the dominant figure of the modern grappling era - multiple ADCC champion across weight classes, undefeated in major No-Gi competition for years, and a technical innovator who has raised the bar for what elite grappling looks like. His system, developed under John Danaher at the New York Athletic Club, is built around back attacks and leg locks - and has influenced an entire generation of grapplers worldwide.

Training

Training in Grappling

Modern No-Gi grappling training is conducted in rash guards and shorts. Sessions draw from BJJ, wrestling, Judo and Sambo to build a complete submission grappling game. Key technical areas include: takedowns and trips, guard passing and retention, back attacks and rear naked choke systems, leg lock systems (heel hooks, ankle locks, kneebars), top pressure and ground-and-pound defence.

Live rolling is central - high-volume, high-intensity sparring with full resistance is the primary development tool. Elite grapplers typically train twice daily and compete frequently. The sport rewards athleticism, creativity and relentless technical refinement.