Owen Jones Welcomes The Pressure Ahead Of ADCC Worlds
Hear from Owen Jones ahead of the 2026 ADCC World Championship.
Video Transcript
Yeah, my name's Owen Jones.
I'm in the 66 kilo division at ADCC.
How is, the camp going here at 10th Planet South Bay?
Yeah, man, the camp's good, obviously.
We've got PJ, Fares, the boy Faredinho, and then, Keith's here, Matt Mash, and a couple other guys at my weight, which is pretty sick.
Yeah, I mean, I'm a little bit fat right now, but apart from that, it's good.
Overall, like, what's the preparation been like?
How have you, you know, I guess, been evolving as a grappler leading up to this ADCC?
Yeah, I mean, I've been trying to work more of the, the wrestling, the top game, like, kind of those sort of like, ADCC kind of situations, you know, the turtle, the shooting, those first to score kind of situations.
Obviously with Greg here running the practice, it's pretty cool, the CLA stuff, all the games.
Like, as you guys kinda know, I was doing that a little bit myself, so having him run the practice and just being able to come in and be just a straight athlete and a student is actually quite cool, you know?
Not having to run my own practice, worry about other people.
I can focus on myself and solely, like, improving my own jujitsu.
This is quite cool again to, you know, have this feeling again.
It's been probably since the last ADCC I haven't really had that feeling of, like, just training and not having to worry about other things, you know, like other students or just other, like, life problems, you know?
So just straight training, being locked in, it feels good.
Definitely.
Is it Feel different this year going into ADCC as, you know, like a me- a returning medalist, having the invite, all that?
Does that, does that make it feel different at all for you?
Yeah, I mean, I think there's maybe, like, a little bit more pressure, but I mean, I always love the pressure, you know?
But, you know, pressure's for tires, as they say, you know?
Not for us.
But I think it's cool going in with more, of an expectation.
You know, I've always had an expectation of myself.
If other people have expe- like, putting pressure and expectations on me, I don't mind.
I, I have like a confident belief in myself that I'm gonna win it, and I've always had that from before I even managed to get top four.
So I'm going in with that same mindset, same preparation, same goal.
It's gonna be good.
Definitely.
For someone who's, maybe this is their first time watching ADCC, how would you describe the ADCC World Championship?
Oh, it's probably one of the most, like, entertaining tournaments, man.
It's electric, like the, the atmosphere there, the vibes.
Everyone's kinda scrappy, you know?
Everyone's gonna chase that dream.
I feel like most no-gi guys, their goal is to win ADCC, so people are really, like, kinda putting their, their heart on the line for those one-hit moments where, like, you get them submissions, you know?
Like them breakout performances the young athletes kinda make their careers from.
Kind of i- it accelerated my own career, you know, so much so in, like, seminars and different things like that.
So I feel like there's so much more pressure and hype on the events, especially that, the stage, the atmosphere, the lights.
I feel like it just makes for the performances, the show, you know?
But I like it, man.
It's cool.
It's sick.
Yeah, like I remember last year, or 2024, you almost seemed like a different person, like, whenever you were about to walk out there to compete and everything, you know?
You just had this different aura about you and everything.
Do you kinda, do you like that environment?
And like, I guess, can you talk about kinda like, do you have just a crazy different mindset when you compete like that?
Yeah, I don't know.
It's, I, I, I know what you're saying.
I, I can feel the I try to be in the moment as much as possible, and I feel like sometimes I get taken away by that, you know?
And like, I guess people can call it, I know people say, like, alter egos and different things like this, but for me, it's more just being, like, super present and, like, I get this adrenaline, this excitement, and this rush from it that, like, I can't get anywhere else, and that's kinda why I enjoy doing it so much, and I feel like ADCC embodies that the most.
You know, the crowd, the chasing that goal of being ADCC champion, like the best in the world at your weight category.
Yeah, I feel like I'm just sometimes losing myself in the moment, as you're saying.
I'm just there.
I'm so present in the moment that I just, I look a bit crazy, though, a little bit skit, but- it's cool.
I enjoy it.
For sure.
What do you think about the 66 kilo division this year?
Yeah, I think it's slightly less stacked than last time, but I feel like it's still got m- some of the big names.
Obviously Pato's in there, Dorian, a lot of the few good guys.
There's no Hayes, so obviously, like, a two-time champ returning not being back, that's kind of like a little hit to the division.
But Fabrcio's in there.
Obviously I just got a recent win over him.
But I would say Dorian and Pato are probably the two, kind of, names that people are looking out for.
So I would definitely say I would love to have a match with Dorian.
Obviously he won the American trials.
I feel like he's kinda someone that people view as a boogeyman, but I feel like I could definitely take him out, so that'd be a good one for me to have.
And then obviously a rematch against Pato.
I feel like I kinda didn't show my A game against him properly in that last match.
Obviously got caught with the ankle lock.
Respect to him.
So I would love to run that one back and smoke him up on the big stage.
Definitely.
What would it mean to you if you went to ADCC and walked away the ADCC world champion?
It means I can go to 77, you know?
There's n- no more cutting to 66 again.
Nah, I mean, for me, it's just something that I would just wanna tick off the box, you know?
It's something that I always believed I could achieve, and now it's just going out there and claiming the title that I feel like I deserve.
So I don't think it'll mean the world to me.
Like, nothing's gonna change in regards to, like I'll keep pursuing, keep trying to win big matches, trying to get as, like, many big wins as possible.
That's, I feel like actually what ADCC embodies is having, like, super high-level matches back to back to back, so you get to beat the best guys in the world.
But winning ADCC will just give me more opportunity to fight the best guys and then maybe move up, fight guys at different weights, and kind of just making a, a better career for myself, you know?
Having all the accolades and all the achievements.
But I mean, financially, that would be nice, you know?
A little, little ADCC win would set me up for sure.
The, it felt like in 2024, that was, like, really the arrival of Owen Jones, like, on the scene, you know?
Where it's like you became, like, a very known grappler kinda, like, throughout all of the sport and everything.
Does this year kinda feel like a special opportunity for you, where it's kinda like you arrived in 2024, and now 2026, like, you could really capitalize on, like, a big moment here?
For sure, yeah.
I think this is, like, a opportunity for me to cement myself, you know?
Like right now, I feel like there's talks about how good I really am.
You know, obviously I had, like, a, a good 2024, and then 2025 was a little bit of, like, an off year for me just in regards to I had d- a bunch of life stuff going on.
So this is a good opportunity for me to prove that I am as good as I believe I am, and, like, prove to the world that I can win ADCC and I can make these guys that people think are unbeatable human, you know, and smoke them up.
Definitely.
Anything else you wanna say, Owen, before we go?
Shout out to PJ for running the camp, 10th Planet South Bay.
Obviously Greg running it, you know.
I think it's gonna be pretty sick having obviously the boys, me, PJ, Fares, all in, like, one division each.
It's pretty sick.
But yeah, man, tune into ADCC, FloGrappling.
It's gonna be a banger.
I'm gonna take the 66.
Fares is gonna take 88, PJ 77. Who else we got?
99. Who's at 99?
Uh- I don't even know.
Declan Moody, 99, and then plus 99, I don't think I know anyone really.
But that one will also be a banger, some big boys in there.
But yeah, don't miss out.
Check it out.
What is it, September 12th, 13th?
Yep.
It's gonna be a bang.
