This Tuesday, November 7th, the second and last day of the Abu Dhabi World Masters Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2023 took over the Mubadala Arena and welcomed the most experienced athletes of the competitive scene as they fought to earn the title of champion in the capital of Jiu-Jitsu.

After a first day of high-octane action, with black belts fighting for a spot at the main bracket in the country qualifiers and colored belts showcasing their prowess as they vied for a chance to advance in the sport, the tournament once again opened its battlefield for the men and women of the Master category.

The highlights were, as expected, the finals of the Master 1 division, with the athletes leaving their hearts on the mats as they fought for a chance to climb the podium. Check out how each final went down below and don’t miss the action schedule for the next days, as the Professionals take over the mats. Watch live at TX7.ae !

Men’s Gi / Master 1 / Black Belt

56kg – Emerson Cassio Silva vs. Masaaki Todokoro
In the lighter men’s division, the Brazilian Cassio Silva got the better of Japanese Masaaki Todokoro, who started the fight by pulling guard. Cassio tried a leglock spin and went up, then pulled and swept, opening the score at 2-0. After pressing on the side and passing the guard, making it 5-0, he left the north-south position to try and take Masaaki’s back. Without stabilizing the hooks, Cassio attacked the arm and earned another point on the scoreboard. Masaaki still received a point in his favor after an illegal grip from his opponent, but Cassio still took the win, conquering the title with a 6-1 score.

62kg – Hiago George vs. Nariman Mynbayev
A renowned player in AJP’s biggest tournaments, Hiago George displayed complete dominance and confirmed his favoritism. At the beginning of the fight, Kazakhstan’s Nariman Mynbayev pulled a half-guard. Hiago applied pressure and gained a point for almost passing, before reaching the side control with the three points. With a 4-0 score in his favor, Hiago disconnected before once again passing the guard and mounting twice in a row, raising the scoreboard to a whopping 18-0, ending the match in another major win for the Brazilian.

69kg – Thiago Marques vs. Gairbeg Ibragimov
A veteran of AJP tournaments, Brazilian Thiago Marques had an exciting duel against Gairbeg Ibragimov, from Russia. Gairbeg took the lead on the scoreboard when he landed a beautiful takedown, pulling Thiago with an ankle pick. Behind on the scoreboard by two points, Thiago managed to even the score after successfully defending against a foot attack. Thiago got another point after Gairbeg used an illegal grip, and went on to further increase his lead with a foot attack, putting the score at 4-2. Without faltering, Gairbeg rose again to even the score and take the lead 4-4. Being the last to score, the Russian came close to victory, but Thiago once again came dangerously close to going up, and with Gairbeg once again using an illegal grip, the Brazilian locked a triangle until the clock ran out, taking the victory by a 6-4 score.

77kg – Ali Monfaradi vs. Talison Costa
Bahraini athlete Ali Monfaradi closed his great 2023 season with a title at the World Masters. Facing the experienced Talison Costa, Ali had a tricky match against the Brazilian. Talison started in the lead on the scoreboard, almost taking down and catching the back, but still taking a 2-0 for the attempt. Ali entered with his dangerous half-guard and tied the score at 2-2. Talison attacked with the footlock and went up to make it 4-2. Underneath, Ali did a nice spin and went up trying to get the back. Two points were scored by attacking attempts, drawing 4-4. As he was the last to score, Ali conquered the win that will remain etched in the memory of Elements JJ Bahrain.

85kg – Flavio Vianna vs. Janos Estergal
Intense exchange standing up in the duel between Brazilian Flavio Vianna and German Janos Estergal. After receiving a punishment for not engaging in the fight, Flavio saw Janos take the lead at 1-0 and intensified his game. Flavio went down without stabilizing, tying at 1-1. With a double punishment for lack of combativeness, Flavio’s second punishment, the score was 3-2 for Janos. Flavio then went for a risky takedown and, without completely landing the move, earned the point he needed to tie the score again and take the win by scoring last.

94kg – Renato Cardoso vs. Roberto Dib Frias
UAE-based Brazilian Renato Cardoso was once again a standout on the mats of the Mubadala Arena. After winning a thrilling semi-final against superstar Jackson Sousa, Renato faced Australian Roberto Dib Frias in the final. Roberto rose from the double pull and started ahead with 1-0, but Renato soon adjusted himself to attack Roberto’s leg. By raising his hips, Renato managed to fully extend the leglock, winning by submission and taking another gold medal.

120kg – Felipe Bezerra vs. Justin Primrose
In the 120kg division final, the Brazilian Felipe Bezerra completely dominated the Canadian Justin Primrose, giving the latter no room to try and fight back. After opening the score with a takedown in the first seconds of the fight, Felipe increased the score from 2-0 to 5-0 with a lot of pressure on the guard pass. Upon arriving on the side, he controlled the actions, dominated Justin’s hips, and stabilized the winning score until the final whistle, taking the win via points.

Women’s Gi / Master 1 / Brown / Black Belt

49kg – Laura Peretti vs. Kacie Tan
Representing Italy, Laura Peretti showed a lot of technique in her duel against Thai Kacie Tan, who made the first action of the fight by jumping into closed guard. Laura opened her guard and used her knee to get to the side. Without completing the pass but scoring 1-0, Laura didn’t stop and brought constant danger to Kacie’s guard. By almost completing the pass again, Laura gained another point and closed the final duel with 2-0 on the scoreboard.

55kg – Ariadne de Oliveira vs. Chingwen Huang
Ariadne Oliveira gifted the crowd with a good showing of Jiu-Jitsu in her match against Taiwan’s Chingwen Huang. In a quick move, Ariadne pulled guard and then went up, scoring 2-0. Upon reaching the side, she passed to raise the scoreboard to 5-0 before trying a kata-gatame. Without completing the submission, Ariadne took the back and attacked with the winning choke. A Submission and a well-deserved gold medal for the Brazilian from the Al Ain Jiu-Jitsu Club.

62kg – Nadia Melo vs. Violeta Angelova
Nadia Melo was the main name of the 62kg division. Her duel against Bulgarian Violeta Angelova started slowly, with punishment for both sides for lack of combativeness. Violeta pulled a closed guard and made a good transition while looking for a chance to take the back, but Nadia avoided the danger and attacked Violeta’s leg. After adjusting her hip, Nadia managed to stretch and complete the submission, seizing the title.

70kg – Magdalena Loska vs. Tamara Rocha
A quick victory for Poland’s Magdalena Loska. Her opponent, Brazilian Tamara Rocha, pulled guard and went down. Magdalena saw the chance to land an attack on the foot and didn’t hesitate, landing a straight footlock to take the win in the first minute of the bout.

95kg – Katiuscia Yasmira Dias vs. Amanda Ribeiro
Yasmira Dias, from Guinea-Bissau, showcased her favoritism in the 95kg division. After a double punishment for lack of combativeness, Yasmira pulled and swept the Brazilian Amanda Ribeiro to take the lead 3-1. After passing guard and disconnecting, Yasmira swept again. Amanda managed to go up by the end, putting the scoreboard at 8-3, but Yasmira went up yet again, leaving the final score at 10-3 to add another victory to her grappling record.

With less than a week to go before the Abu Dhabi Extreme Championship’s debut, the organizers have once again joined hands with AJP, this time to gift fans with an entertaining Fight Week. As the ADXC1 gets ready to take over the Mubadala Arena next Friday, October 20th, Jiu-Jitsu aficionados will have plenty of chances to meet their favorite athletes throughout the week.

Starting on Tuesday, October 17th, the main fighters and coaches will take part in a Meet & Greet at the UAEJJ Fitness, where they’ll be available for photos, autographs, and maybe even a quick chat. After that, the athletes will warm up their bodies for the last time before the event, showing their best moves for the crowd at the open workout.

Moving on to Wednesday, October 18th, the main players of the ADXC1 will sit down for the press conference, where they’ll talk to journalists and fans about their preparations, what they expect from the tournament, and any other questions that come up. Reporters and Jiu-Jitsu connoisseurs will make their way to the Mubadala Arena, eager to hear what their favorite athletes have to say.

On October 19th, one day before the ADXC1 debut, the Mubadala Arena will be all geared up to pick up the pace ahead of the tournament, promoting many attractions at the ADXC Fan Zone. Later on, the stars of the show will face their very first challenge: beating the scales in the Ceremonial Weigh-Ins. Still on Thursday, the most dedicated Jiu-Jitsu athletes will have the chance to take part in a super seminar, led by Atos’ leader André Galvão, and Checkmat’s leader Léo Vieira.

All these attractions lead up to the main course on October 20th, at 8 p.m., as the ADXC1 completely takes over the Mubadala Arena and welcomes the stars of its debut. Don’t miss out on a moment of this build-up, which will make the Abu Dhabi Showdown Week 2023 even more entertaining. For more details, follow us on Instagram at @adxcofficial and stay up-to-date ahead of the tournament.

ADXC 1

Mubadala Arena, Abu Dhabi – UAE

October 20, 2023

Main Card

Neiman Gracie vs. Ben Henderson – No-gi Main event

Isaque Bahiense vs. Gustavo Batista – Gi Main Event

Marvin Vettori vs. Tarek Suleiman – No-gi Co-main Event

Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu vs. Anton Minenko – No-gi Co-main Event

Super Fights

Tayane Porfirio vs. Giovanna Jara – Gi Super Fight

Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady vs. Islam Nader Reda – No-gi Super Fight

Fabricio Andrey vs. Marcio Andre – Gi Super Fight

Zayed Alkatheeri vs. Thalison Soares – Gi Super Fight

Marcin Held vs. Guram Kutateladze – No-gi Super Fight

Fellipe Andrew vs. Uanderson Ferreira – Gi Super Fight

Jonnatas Gracie vs. Natan Chueng – No-gi Super Fight

Nathalie Ribeiro vs. Luiza Monteiro – Gi Super Fight

“Big” Dan Manasoiu vs. Antonio Assef – No-gi Super Fight

Sarah Galvão vs. Vitoria Gabriella – Gi Super Fight

Zayed Alkatheeri is the new Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Black Belt Chamion. Photo: Instagram/AJP

After a long journey in the 2022-2023 season, it was time to come back home. The AJP Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour circled back to its homonymous territory and provided an incredible display of technique at the modern Mubadala Arena, in the heat of UAE’s capital.

After three days of action from kids to masters, in all weights and belt divisions, this last Sunday, May 7th, the black belt champions, as well as the Heroes of the season, were finally revealed. The warriors who traveled the world with us and gave their best to accumulate points in the Black and Brown/Black rankings were awarded the Golden Eagle and a trophy, to remember for years to come that the glory is real for those who fight for it.

Check out the lines below for the results of the finals at the ADGS Abu Dhabi and the Heroes of the Season 2022-2023.

MEN’S GI / BLACK / PROFESSIONAL

56kg – Zayed Alkatheeri is a man on a mission. The 56kg jewel of the UAE came back from outstanding results in the season to end the tour with a big win for his crowd. And that’s what he did. After a tough semifinal match, won by points, Zayed went on to the finals to face the top-ranking Yuri Hendrex. The match was close, tied on points, but Zayed managed to score the last point and get the gold, causing cheers from the people who came to see their favorite athlete fighting live at the Mubadala Arena.

62kg – Khaled Alshehhi registered to fight in this ADGS to make a statement: He’s here to take over the 62kg division. His efforts in this tournament were awe-inspiring, with three tough fights until the glory of the gold. After beating Nariman Mynbayev and the dangerous Wagner Chrispim, Khaled faced Jefferson Fagundes at the grand final. With all his knowledge and technique, Khaled got the last point in an 8-8 bout and got home with the gold medal hanging on his shoulders.

69kg – Thiago Marques was the double champion of the day in the ADGS Abu Dhabi. After getting the gold on Saturday, in the Masters division, Thiago fought once again on Sunday, won three more fights, and went straight to the finals, to face the medal collector Hiago George. The Commando Group coach took a long breath, went into the duel with guns blazing, and beat Hiago via 3-2 to get his second gold of the tournament.

77kg – Adriano Araujo got his gold in a last-minute action and got crowned, as he deserved, after a great campaign in this ADGS. After winning two fights and beating Lucas Protasio in the semifinals, Adriano tied at 3-3 in his final against Andre Cantanhede. However, with a takedown landed at the eleventh hour, Adriano put the scoreboard in his favor, and the 5-2 points made him the champion of the 77kg division.

Jansen Gomes defeated Uanderson Ferreira in the 85kg final. Photo: AJP/Instagram

85kg – Three fights and three wins for Jansen Ramos. After landing an 18-0 score in the quarters and submitting GFTeam’s Hiago Lima in the semis, the Checkmat powerhouse went up against Uanderson Ferreira in the final round. After putting the score at 3-2, Jansen showcased his prowess by landing the submission that earned him the title.

94kg – Crowning a golden season, Marcos Carrozzino was unstoppable in the ADGS. With three fights and two submissions on the bracket, the GFTeam athlete went toe-to-toe with teammate Catriel Fernandes in a very balanced final round, with Marcos taking the win via the referees’ decision.

WOMEN’S GI / BROWN / BLACK / PROFESSIONAL

49kg – Diana Teixeira was merciless in the 49kg division. After submitting Flavia Quintareli in the semis, Diana went full-throttle for the final round, in which she quickly landed another submission against Isadora Maggioni to take the gold. 

55kg – Submitting every opponent that dared stand in her way to the gold, Ariadne de Oliveira was like a freight train on the 55kg division. First, she beat both Dayane Bazzoni and Galina Duranova to advance through the bracket. Then, in the final round, she wasted no time in landing her third and final submission against Alexa Yanes to become the reigning champion. 

62kg – Maria Luiza Delahaye had to fight twice before she could call herself an ADGS champion. After imposing her game and landing the score at 10-0 against Isabela Ribeiro in the semifinal, the GFTeam athlete went on to face fellow teammate Julia Alves in the gold round, settling the match with a submission to take the 62kg gold.

Ingridd Sousa was the name to look out at the 70kg division. Photo: AJP/Instagram

70kg – Ingridd Sousa was the name to look out for in the 70kg bracket. After submitting Marian Urdabayeva in the quarters and scoring 6-0 against Raquel Santos in the semis, the Brazilian athlete clashed with Yara Kakish in the finals, submitting yet again to stand atop the division podium.

95kg – The scoreboard was Izadora Silva’s best friend through the 95kg bracket. After landing a 4-3 against Marcelle Catanhede in the semifinal, Izadora went on to score a 2-0 against Mayara Moreira to become the 95kg champion at the ADGS.

The black beltchampions were revealed. Photo: AJP/Instagram

MEET THE HEROES OF THE ABU DHABI GRAND SLAM TOUR 2022-2023

Five capitals around the globe were chosen to receive the best Jiu-Jitsu athletes in the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam World Tour. Rio de Janeiro, Miami, Sydney, London, and Abu Dhabi were the spots for our heroes to display the techniques and willpower used to overcome the adversities of fighting internationally and staying at the top of our rankings. Meet below our best and brightest Heroes of Jiu-Jitsu of the season 2022-2023!

Men’s Professional Black Belt Light Featherweight (under 56kg)

Zayed Alkatheeri (UAE) – 10400pts

Men’s Professional Black Belt Featherweight (under 62kg)

Leonardo Mario (Brazil) – 9400pts

Men’s Professional Black Belt Lightweight (under 69kg)

Meyran Maquine Alves (Brazil) – 7600pts

Men’s Professional Black Belt Welterweight (under 77kg)

Lucas Protasio (Brazil) – 6000pts

Men’s Professional Black Belt Middleweight (under 85kg)

Jansen Gomes Ramos (Brazil) – 9000pts

Men’s Professional Black Belt Heavyweight (under 94kg)

Catriel Oliveira Fernandes (Brazil) – 6000pts

Men’s Professional Black Belt Super Heavyweight (under 120kg)

Yatan Bueno (Brazil) – 9000pts

Women’s Professional Brown / Black Belt Roosterweight (under 49kg)

Diana Thais Teixeira (Brazil) – 7200pts

Women’s Professional Brown / Black Belt Light Featherweight (under 55kg) 

Ana Rodrigues (Brazil) – 8000pts

Women’s Professional Brown / Black Belt Lightweight (under 62kg) 

Julia Alves (Brazil) – 9800pts

Women’s Professional Brown / Black Belt Middleweight (under 70kg) 

Izadora  Silva (Brazil) – 8000pts

Women’s Professional Brown / Black Belt Heavyweight (under 95kg) 

Gabrieli Pessanha (Brazil) – 8000pts