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Adele Fornarino

Australian grappler Adele Fornarino turned an armbar-centered game into 2024 ADCC double gold and a 2025 IBJJF No-Gi world title.

Biography

Adele Fornarino is an Australian grappler whose 2024 ADCC campaign ended with gold in both her weight class and the open class. The double title followed a path that began in Melbourne, where she was born in 1999 and started jiu-jitsu at about ten years old. She later recalled that she had been considering a career in policing and simply chose the nearest martial-arts gym. At sixteen, Fornarino won her first international competition in the juvenile blue-belt division after a local event provided the travel and entry. Her early instructors included David Hart, who promoted her to black belt in December 2022 after she had spent nearly four years at brown belt. The published account of this development relies chiefly on an IBJJF interview and BJJ Heroes' career chronology. In 2023, Fornarino won the IBJJF Pan and European No-Gi titles, submitting every opponent at both events. She described the armbar from guard as a core attack from her yellow-belt years and said that she adapted parts of her gi game for no-gi competition. In the following season, she won her two ADCC titles. She added the 2025 IBJJF No-Gi World featherweight title by submitting all three opponents, including a sixteen-second finish in the final. The IBJJF athlete page lists her as a black belt representing Atos JJ International in competition; that listing is treated here as a competition association, not as proof of a single training home.

Sources for this profile

  • BJJ Heroes, “Adele Fornarino.”(opens in a new tab)

    • Fornarino is an Australian grappler.

      Where in the source: Profile introduction — Australian athlete

      Accessed:

    • David Hart promoted Fornarino to black belt in December 2022 after a brown-belt period of nearly four years.

      Where in the source: Biography — December 2022 promotion

      Accessed:

    • Fornarino won both her weight category and the open class at the 2024 ADCC World Championship.

      Where in the source: Main Achievements — 2024 ADCC double gold

      Accessed:

    • Her early instructors included David Hart, David Christopher, and Lincoln Handcock, and she later trained with multiple teams and coaches while competing internationally.

      Where in the source: Biography — instructors and international development

      Accessed:

    • Adele Marie Fornarino was born in 1999 in Melbourne, Australia, where she was raised.

      Where in the source: Biography — birth and upbringing

      Accessed:

  • Danny O'Donnell, “Adele Fornarino Worlds No-Gi Q&A,” IBJJF, December 4, 2023.(opens in a new tab)

    • Fornarino said she began jiu-jitsu at about age ten after choosing the closest martial-arts gym while considering a future police career.

      Where in the source: Q&A — how she started

      Accessed:

    • At sixteen, she entered and won her first international competition in the juvenile blue-belt division after a local event supplied travel and entry.

      Where in the source: Q&A — first international competition

      Accessed:

    • In 2023, Fornarino won Pan and European No-Gi titles with every match at those events ending in submission.

      Where in the source: Q&A — 2023 no-gi campaign

      Accessed:

    • Fornarino described the armbar from guard as a core submission since yellow belt and said she adapted elements of her gi game to no-gi.

      Where in the source: Q&A — armbar development

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, “Athlete Results: Adele Fornarino.”(opens in a new tab)

    • The IBJJF athlete page lists Fornarino as a black belt representing Atos JJ International.

      Where in the source: Athlete Results — name, team and rank

      Accessed:

    • The IBJJF athlete page lists Fornarino's current competition association as Atos JJ International.

      Where in the source: Athlete Results — association

      Accessed:

  • Kaelan Crisosto, “2025 No-Gi Worlds | Black Belt Day 2 Recap,” IBJJF, December 14, 2025.(opens in a new tab)

    • Fornarino won the 2025 IBJJF No-Gi World featherweight title by submitting all three opponents, including a sixteen-second finish in the final.

      Where in the source: Female Divisions — featherweight final

      Accessed:

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