Charles Negromonte has publicly questioned how ADCC decided its latest round of invites, laying out his own competitive record and asking why it wasn’t enough to earn him a spot.
In a post on Instagram, Negromonte started by congratulating everyone who received an invite, including his own teammate Faris, before turning to his confusion over how the criteria was applied.
“First of all, congratulations to everyone who got the ADCC invite. Nothing personal against any of the athletes, especially Faris, who is my teammate and someone I’m genuinely happy to see getting this opportunity. But I’d be lying if I said I understand the criteria,” Negromonte wrote.
He then laid out his own résumé at the event. Negromonte has previously won the ADCC Trials, submitting his opponent in the final, and went on to deliver what he called one of the standout submissions at ADCC itself, in his first match against Izaak Michel. Two years later, he made another Trials final in São Paulo, and along the way beat Gabriel Brod 2-0 in the semifinal to get there. Brod has since received an ADCC invite, a decision Negromonte says he doesn’t understand given the result between them.
“At those Trials, I beat Gabriel Brod 2-0 in the semifinal and advanced to the final. Now Gabriel has received an invite, and I’m genuinely struggling to understand how the priority was decided,” he said.
Negromonte pointed to other invited athletes he’s beaten before, including one he says he’s defeated five times, as well as an athlete who finished third at the European Trials, which led him to ask what happened to competitors who finished second at the Trials, let alone someone with his own recent ADCC track record.
“I’m also watching other athletes getting invited who I’ve beaten before, one of them five times, and even an athlete who finished 3rd at the European Trials. Which makes me wonder what happened to the people who finished 2nd at the Trials, never mind someone with my recent ADCC record,” he wrote.
He also raised a separate issue involving athletes who won the 2024 Trials and then left ADCC to compete in CJI instead, some of whom have now received invites back. According to Negromonte, ADCC’s Mo Jassim had previously said any path back for those athletes would require winning the Trials again, with no invite otherwise.
“Some athletes who WON the Trials 2024, then chose to leave ADCC and switch to CJI, have now received invitations back to ADCC. Mo himself said they would be given a second chance, but that the way back to ADCC was to WIN THE TRIALS again but no chance of an invite. So if that was the standard, how are some athletes now getting invited back without winning the Trials again, while someone who has won the Trials, performed at ADCC and made another Trials final is still waiting?” he said.
Negromonte closed by reiterating that his frustration isn’t directed at the athletes who received invites, before summarizing his own results in a simple checklist and questioning what more is expected of him.
“Again, this isn’t disrespect toward Gabriel, Faris, or anyone else who received an invite. They didn’t choose themselves, and I wish them all the best. I’m just genuinely curious about what I’m supposed to do next. Win the Trials? Submit in the final? Perform at ADCC? Make another Trials final? Beat an invited athlete 2-0 in the semifinal? Get the invite? Maybe I need to unlock a secret side quest,” he wrote.
A freelance journalist with more than seven years of experience covering a wide range of topics, with a focus on delivering accurate, engaging, and well-researched reporting. He studied at the University of Birmingham, where he developed a strong foundation in journalism and communications. Martin is a 10th Planet BJJ brown belt and has been training for approximately 10 years and a keen follower of submission grappling.
