FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2023, ABU DHABI, UAE, Mubadala Arena was the date and place set for the latest and biggest jiu-jitsu enterprise set by the AJP organization. We are referring to the Abu Dhabi Extreme Championship (ADXC), a huge project set forth with the help of some of our sport’s most influential figures with the end goal of pushing for the professionalization of grappling.
The event was set by 14 super fights in a novel ruleset (check ruleset here) and combat arena – a cage, thought to prevent mat exits & resets. Being such a break from the standard conventions of jiu-jitsu’s sporting rule set, there was plenty of expectation regarding what these changes could offer in terms of entertainment.
The excitement was certainly available. The matchmaking got it right on quite a few of the clashes and the ruleset worked. At the top of the entertainment ladder were the action-packed matches of Tayane Porfirio & Giovanna Jara (the match of the night, no doubt), as well as Fellipe Andrew, Uanderson Ferreira, Daniel Manasoiu, to name a few. These competitors have built their careers on providing high-paced, aggressive grappling styles and proved that they are very well suited for this type of environment and stage.
On the other side of that wise matchmaking choices were others, including the main event between Isaque Bahiense and Gustavo Batista. Neither of these two athletes is known for their risk-taking styles. They have among the lowest submission rates in the sport at the pro level and built their careers as two of the best strategists in the sport, characteristics that were on display last night.
Below are the end results of the matches at ADXC1:
– Sarah Galvao def Vitoria Gabriella via choke from the back
– Big Dan Manasoiu def Antonio Assef via inside heel hook
– Luiza Monteiro def Nathalie Ribeiro via decision
– Jonnatas Gracie def Natan Chueng via decision
– Fellipe Andrew def Uanderson Ferreira via triangle choke
– Marcin Held def Guram Kutateladze via armbar
– Thalison Soares def Zayed Al-Katheeri via decision
– Fabricio Andrey def Marcio Andre via split decision
– Abdul Kareem Al-Selwady def Islam Nader Reda via decision
– Tayane Porfirio def Giovanna Jara via decision
– Roberto Cyborg Abreu def Anton Minenko via decision
– Marvin Vittori def Tarek Suleiman via decision
– Isaque Bahiense def Gustavo Batista via decision
– Neiman Gracie def Benson Henderson via armbar
