JT Torres works a single leg takedown on Augusto Tanquinho in the lightweight final of the 2012 No-gi Worlds. Photo: Ivan Trindade

Already an ADCC veteran, the 23-year-old Puerto Rican American is hoping to gain another spot in the prestigious event but this time in Beijing, China.

Jonathan ‘JT’ Thomas earned his black belt at the age of 20 and now trains under world champion Andre Galvao at his Atos HQ in San Diego, CA. JT has earned medals in both gi and no-gi which he hopes will convince the ADCC committee that he deserves another chance at ADCC gold.

We asked JT about his experience and skill level according to the standards of the ADCC committee:

GRACIEMAG: ADCC invites those who they believe have enough skill to make it to the final. What division would you be asking to enter and based on who is in that division already, what makes you believe that you can go all the way?

JT TORRES: I truly believe I can win the 77 kg ADCC division because I have gained a lot of experience these last few years as a black belt fighting and training with some of the best in the world. Along with that experience I still have the youth and hunger for victory on my side!

Have you been in ADCC before? What were your results? What has changed since the last time you were there?

Yes I fought the ADCC in 2011. I fought Clark Gracie first round and I defeated him via points. Second round I fought one of my all-time heroes Leo Vieira and lost via points. I lost the match towards the end because of my lack of experience with the ADCC rules at the time. I pulled guard with five minutes remaining which gave me a negative point and that forced me to really leave my game plan and try to score or submit him at any means possible and I ended up giving up a takedown in a good scramble. I lost 3-0. Today I feel way more seasoned and experienced to compete in a tournament such as ADCC.

If they had an invite for you but in a weight class different than what you normally fight, would you still accept?

If ADCC invited me for a weight class different than my normal weight I would probably fight only because ADCC is such a great opportunity for grapplers to compete in.

What accomplishments in no-gi do you have that could prove your skill?

I am 2 time No-Gi World Championship black belt finalist and a black belt No-Gi Pan American Champion. I am also a brown belt No-Gi World and Pan Am Champion.

If you chose the qualifications for an ADCC invite, what do you think would be necessary for all participants?

If I had to choose the qualifications for an ADCC invite, I would make it necessary for all participants to have at least medaled in a major BJJ or no-gi tournament at the brown belt or black belt level.

The committee also looks into those who have backgrounds in other martial art disciplines. Are you working on or do you have experience in other fields like Judo, Wrestling, Sambo, etc?

I actually wrestled before I started training BJJ. When I was about 12 years old I started going to wrestling Mat Clubs throughout New York and New Jersey. Even when BJJ became my main focus in life, I would still make sure to wrestle about twice a week.

They also believe that having people from different nationalities allows for better development of the sport around the world. What other nationalities besides American do you represent?

Besides representing the United States, I also represent Puerto Rico, even though PR is also part of the States. Both my parents are born and raised in Puerto Rico, so my roots run deep in PR.

Would you like to see JT in the ADCC? Let us know.

Watch JT at the 2012 No-Gi World Championship:

A meeting at the 2011 ADCC world event. Photo: GRACIEMAG Archive

The ADCC is a prestigious event that happens only every other year. The participants earn their place through various ways but nonetheless are chosen through processes that deem the best in their category.

The trials for the 2013 event which will take place October 19-20 in Beijing, China were spread out around the world. There were tournaments in Europe, North America, Brazil, Asia, and the Pacific that were all given travel packages and invites to hand out along with the gold medals.

The existing champion of each division earns an automatic invite for the next event and many invitations are sent out for those who the committee deems a top contender. But how do they decide? Does the support from the public help convince them of who should be invited? Does social media have any bearing on the choice of who goes to Beijing?

A member of the ADCC committee spoke to GRACIEMAG about their complicated review process and gave us a list of ways a competitor might find their way to an invitation.

The selection criteria of inviting the competitors is mostly focused on:

• Fighters that have chances to reach the finals (according to skills and experience).
• Fighters that have won a previous ADCC World event.
• Fighters that won other grappling and submission fighting world famous events and are on top of their game.
• Teammates that have already in the past fixed fights or have the potential of fixing fights [or creating gentlemen agreements] which in ADCC is forbidden and is punished with disqualification.
• Famous MMA fighters that can show an amazing skill in the ADCC World event.
• Fighters from different grappling sports like (Judo, Sambo, Wrestling etc.)
• Fighters from different nationalities to keep the wide variety of nations competing, which helps the developing of the sport around the globe.

Plus many other important reasons that ADCC highly considers to retain the quality of the event.

So now that you have a better understanding of what the selection committee is looking for, who do you think is missing from the roster so far?