Adele Fornarino

Adele Fornarino is a breakthrough athlete for Australian grappling and a jiu-jitsu black belt under David Hart of Team Dominance MMA. Fornarino broke through as one of the foremost athletes in the feather/light-featherweight division back in 2022 when she conquered the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) World No-Gi title as a brown belt, and the Oceania & Asia ADCC Qualifiers. She would go on to win several important medals including a double gold at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) 2024 World tournament, then becoming simultaneously the first Australian to win the event, and the first to win the open class.

Adele Fornarino Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Adele Marie Fornarino

Nickname: N/A

Lineage: Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Carlos Gracie Junior > Jean Jacques Machado / Rigan Machado > John Will > David Hart > Adele Fornarino

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place ADCC (2024**)
• 1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2023)
• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship NOGI (2025)
• 1st Place IBJJF European Championship NOGI (2023)
• 1st Place ADCC Oceania & Asia Trials (2022 / 2023 / 2024)
• 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship NOGI (2023)
• 2nd Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2023)
• GrappleFest U60KG Title Superfight (2023)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):

• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship NOGI (2022 brown)
• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship, Juvenile (2016 blue)
• 1st Place IBJJF Pan Pacific Championship (2019** brown)
• 1st Place IBJJF Pan Pacific Championship NOGI (2019** brown)
• 1st Place IBJJF European Open NOGI (2022 brown)
• 1st Place AJP Oceania Continental Pro (2020 brown)
• 1st Place AJP Australia National Pro (2019 brown)
• 2nd Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2019 brown)
• 2nd Place IBJJF Asian Open (2019 brown)

* Absolute
** Weight and Absolute

Favorite Position/Technique: Armbar & Straight Ankle Lock

Weight Division: Peso Pluma (53.5kg / 118 lbs)

Team/Association: Dominance MMA

Adele Fornarino Biography

Adele Fornarino was born on September 17, 1999, in Melbourne, Australia, where she was raised.

A sporty child from early on, Adele played competitive football (soccer) from the age of 7 up until her 14th birthday. During this period, more specifically in 2009, 10-year-old Fornarino also added jiu-jitsu to her weekly activities.

Fornarino’s first instructors were David Hart, David Christopher, and Lincoln Handcock, coaches who stood by her as she climbed through the belt ranks.

At the age of 16, two years after she quit her soccer career, Adele started embracing the competition scene and began her incursions into international territories to compete. During her time abroad, Fornarino had the chance to work with a number of different teams and coaches. This habit would persist for most of her career.

Her performances on the global circuit allowed Adele to contemplate a career out of jiu-jitsu and a full time training schedule. This decision was finally made once the young Australian athlete turned 18.

Arguably her breakthrough moment as a jiu-jitsu athlete took place during her brown belt campaign, when Adele conquered an IBJJF World No-Gi title, the ADCC Oceania Trials spot, a Pan American silver medal, and a few other important trophies.

In December 2022, after her successful brown belt run (which lasted for nearly 4 years), Adele Fornarino was promoted to black belt by her long-time instructor, David Hart.