By Juan Zurita Victoria, MBA, Chair of Athlete Support and Programs, Oax Sport
Emily Barrera is preparing to compete at ADCC Ciudad de México 2026 on June 13.
Emily is a 23-year-old athlete from Oaxaca and an active member of Oax Sport. She started in taekwondo at age six, trained in boxing for nearly a decade, and later moved into mixed martial arts. Today, she trains striking and submission wrestling at Gallery MMA, part of Brazilian Warriors Oaxaca, while competing at the national level. You can follow her training on Instagram.
Emily is in her fifth semester of Psychology at La Salle University in Oaxaca.
This campaign has one clear purpose: help Emily cover the basic costs of getting to Mexico City and competing.
Donate to Emily’s ADCC campaign
What Emily is preparing for
Emily will compete at ADCC Ciudad de México 2026, a No-Gi submission wrestling tournament on June 13, 2026, at Complejo Deportivo Plan Sexenal in Mexico City.
ADCC stands for Abu Dhabi Combat Club. It runs open-entry No-Gi submission wrestling tournaments around the world. Athletes compete without a uniform, using holds and control techniques to win. You can see the full event details and divisions on Smoothcomp and the ADCC official Mexico Open page.
This will be Emily’s first ADCC tournament and her second national-level competition.
Why this campaign matters
For many athletes in Oaxaca, competition costs decide whether they compete or stay home. Registration, transportation, lodging, and food add up fast.
Emily covers her own training, gym fees, and gear year-round. This campaign covers only her approved competition and travel expenses for this event.
In July 2025, Emily won her debut amateur MMA fight at Campeón de Campeones 7, a national tournament held at the Terrible Morales Gymnasium in the State of Mexico.
“Seeing donations arrive motivated me a lot. I felt that people believed in me and trusted that I could do more,” Emily said during her Oax Sport radio interview.
You can hear Emily discuss her training, competition fears, and campaign experience in her Tribu al Extremo interview.
Your donation helps Emily arrive in Mexico City prepared and focused.
Campaign budget
This campaign covers Emily’s approved competition and travel expenses:
- Registration: $1,990 MXN
- Transportation: $1,000 MXN
- Lodging: $3,500 MXN
- Food: $1,500 MXN
Total need: $7,990 MXN
Givebutter goal: $500 USD
The USD goal gives the campaign a small cushion for exchange rate movement and payment processing.
What your donation can fund
- $500 USD fully funds Emily’s campaign goal.
- $250 USD covers a major part of the trip.
- $115 USD covers Emily’s ADCC registration.
- $75 USD covers part of lodging.
- $50 USD goes toward transportation from Oaxaca to Mexico City.
- $25 USD covers meals for the full trip.
- $10 USD covers one day of meals.
What Oax Sport will track
Donations to this campaign go directly to Emily’s approved ADCC competition and travel expenses.
This campaign does not fund Emily’s regular training, gym fees, or year-round gear. Emily covers those costs herself.
Once the tournament ends, Oax Sport will share an update showing how Oax Sport used campaign funds.
You can also see current Oax Sport campaigns on our active fundraisers page, and you can learn more about Emily through the Oax Sport members page.
How to donate
You can donate directly through Givebutter:
https://givebutter.com/Emily-ADCC-2026
Givebutter processes donations securely. If you donate through another Oax Sport platform, please write Emily ADCC in the note so the donation can be assigned correctly.
For receipts or questions, contact us here:
Legal and transparency
Oax Sport Inc. is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit. EIN: 86-3407818.
Oax Sport A.C. is a registered Mexican nonprofit based in Oaxaca, Mexico. RFC: OSP-230216-SG0.
Donations support athletes from underserved communities in Oaxaca, Mexico.
If you need a receipt or tax documentation, contact us and tell us whether you donated to Oax Sport Inc. in the United States or Oax Sport A.C. in Mexico.
Help Emily compete in Mexico City
Emily has competed at the national level, led girls’ empowerment workshops, and joined Oax Sport running tours with visitors from outside Mexico.
Now she needs help covering the basic costs of this ADCC tournament.
Donate to Emily’s ADCC campaign today
What would change for athletes in Oaxaca if competition costs stopped deciding who gets to show up?
Discover more from Oax Sport
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.