Kona teen heads to ADCC Youth World Championships as rising jiu-jitsu star

Asher Moore has turned a Kona upbringing into an international jiu-jitsu résumé, and the 16-year-old will be one of only two athletes from Hawaii heading to the ADCC Youth World Championships in Texas this summer.

Moore’s path stands out even on an island known for producing tough, multi-sport competitors. He is already a two-time state longboard surfing champion, a national champion and a world-ranked jiujiteiro, while also riding bulls at weekend rodeos. In a community where youth athletes often cross between the ocean, the gym and the rodeo arena, Moore has become a rare example of one competitor excelling in all three.

The numbers behind his rise are even more striking. Moore is ranked No. 4 in the world in the 15-to-17 division for ADCC No-Gi and No. 3 in the world at roosterweight in the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation’s Gi rankings. Those standings put the Kona native on an international tier long before he reaches adulthood, and they also help explain why his selection matters beyond one family or one dojo. For Big Island readers, it is another reminder that elite talent can emerge from a relatively small population when local athletes are willing to travel, train and compete far from home.

Getting there has required more than talent. Moore qualified by earning points and medals at smaller tournaments around the country, a process that demands repeated trips, steady training and the backing of family and coaches. For a teenager living on the Big Island, that kind of climb is not just physical. It means building a schedule around flights, lodging, missed time at home and the pressure of having to perform every time he steps on the mat.

Moore has said jiu-jitsu is his favorite sport because of its strategy, comparing it to chess and the mental calculations involved in controlling an opponent’s moves. That mindset has helped him build a resume that bridges different Hawaiian youth sports cultures: surfing at the highest state level, grappling on the global stage and rodeo through Hawaii’s organized high school rodeo scene.

The ADCC Youth World Championships are scheduled for August 8, 2026, and ADCC’s official youth events include invitations by age group as part of a broader 2025-26 season that also features youth trials and open events. For Kona and the rest of West Hawaii, Moore’s trip to Texas will say as much about the island’s sports pipeline as it does about one teenager’s talent.