ABU DHABI: In a night that featured 14 high-level jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts bouts, American Urijah Faber and Brazilian Rayron Gracie were crowned champions of the fifth Abu Dhabi Extreme Championship (ADXC) at the Mubadala Arena on Friday. Faber won the no-gi trophy and Gracie went home with the gi.
Faber showed his endurance when he defeated Bibiana Fernandes of Brazil almost 20 years after they first met in MMA.
Faber used his wrestling background to frustrate Fernandes' attacks and worked better from the top as he put pressure on his opponent's guard. The Brazilian had some good moments, landing a few takedowns and sweeps, but Faber's skills won out.
In the end, the American fighter captured the ADXC cage by unanimous decision. After the duel, Faber emphasized his respect for his rival and praised the event in Abu Dhabi.
“I love Fernandes. This guy has changed the lives of many athletes during his career and it's also very difficult to quit,” said Faber. “It felt good to fight in the cage again. If you are looking for something that will change your life, look to martial arts. Abu Dhabi is doing the right thing by investing in something like jiu-jitsu.”
Gracie gave debutant Marcos Carrozzino no chance in their showdown and earned her second straight win in ADXC, again by submission.
Gracie started the fight by defending well against her opponent's attacks. After a takedown attempt from Carrozzino, Gracie locked in an unorthodox choke and forced his rival to tap out. Afterwards, Gracie paid tribute to his uncle, renowned mixed martial artist Renzo Gracie, who was in his corner for the fight.
“I know everything is going well when my uncle is by my side,” Gracie said. “My first loop choke was blocked but Carrozzino escaped very well. The guillotine he applied to me was very tight, but I knew he was going to give it everything, so I managed to defend and recover. Five minutes before the match, my uncle told me to use the corner choke about 40 seconds before the end of the round.”
In the second main grappling fight, American Chad Mendes defeated Brazilian Diego Brandão by unanimous decision. Mendes led throughout the fight, controlling his opponent's head in the stand-up fight, using good takedowns and defending superbly.
Another gi main event was a very technical, close battle with Pedro Ramalho of Portugal narrowly defeating Max Lindblad of Sweden by split decision to take the title. In similar fighting styles, competitors exchanged grabs and attacks while defending dangerous positions. Ramalho excelled with good moves and was particularly dangerous with his feet. Lindblad's standout moment was a leg lock attempt that put him on top. In the end, though, Ramalh's consistency was rewarded.
In addition to the four main fights, ADXC spiced up 5 other 10 matches. In the opening bout, Balqees Al-Hashmi of the United Arab Emirates dominated her bout against Maria Odintsova of Russia. Al Hashmi made full use of her guard and maintained control throughout, applying some promising attacks and using her positional control to keep her opponent under pressure throughout. Al-Hashmi won by unanimous decision.
Another Emirati fighter also picked up a win on home turf. Omar Al-Suwaidi defeated Samuel Marquez by unanimous decision in a fight that Al-Suwaidi dominated by keeping the tempo high.
Another stellar display of strength and technique from Iranian fighter Pouya Rahmani in the ADXC cage saw him take down Hamdy Abdelwahab with one leg and take his back, reaching his arms out to the crowd before slipping them under Abdelwahab's neck and securing the victory by choke. hold.
Tunisian fighter Amin Boudhina was defeated by Davi Vetoraci from Brazil. Vetoraci attacked with a dangerous flying triangle from the start, then switched to an armbar attempt, which Boudhina defended against. Later, the Vetorians faked a shoulder lock. As the Tunisian fighter turned to run, Vetoraci locked in the winning arm.
Nineteen-year-old Seilkhan Bolatbek of Kazakhstan scored a quick victory against Emad Ahmedin of the Netherlands, and Chinese fighter Xiaosong Shi was defeated by American fighter Abe “The Killer” Alsaghir in an intense bout in which Alsaghir used the cage to his advantage. Shi had some good moments, including a particularly well-executed guillotine attempt in the second round, but Alsaghir kept up the pressure to emerge victorious by unanimous decision.
