ABU DHABI: In a night featuring 14 high-level jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts matchups, America's Urijah Faber and Brazil's Reyron Gracie emerged as champions of the fifth Abu Dhabi Extreme Championship (ADXC) at the Mubadala Arena on Friday. Faber won the No-G trophy, and Gracie went home with the G.
Almost 20 years after his first encounter in MMA, Faber showed his ability by defeating Brazilian Bibiano Fernandez.
Tapping into his wrestling background to thwart Fernandes' attacks, Faber did a good job from the top as he pressured his opponent's guard. The Brazilian had some good moments as he managed to land some takedowns and sweeps, but Faber's skill won out.
In the end, the American fighter won the ADXC cage via unanimous decision. After the duel, Faber emphasized his respect for his opponent and praised the Abu Dhabi event.
“I love Fernandes. This guy has changed a lot of athletes' lives in his career, and he's going to be very hard to finish,” Faber said. Look for the art. Abu Dhabi is doing the right thing by investing in something like Jiu-Jitsu.”
In their showdown, Gracie gave debutant Marcos Carrozino no chance and earned his second straight win in ADXC, once by submission.
Gracie started the fight by defending well against the opponent's attacks. After a takedown attempt by Carrozzino, Gracie locked in an unconventional choke, forcing his opponent to tap out. Afterwards, Gracie paid tribute to his uncle, renowned mixed martial artist Renzo Gracie, who was in his corner for the bout.
“I know everything is going to be okay when my uncle is by my side,” Gracie said. “My first loop choke was locked, but Carrozzino escaped very well. The guillotine he applied to me was very tight, but I knew he was going to put everything into it, so I was able to defend and recover. Five minutes into the fight Before, my uncle told me to use a corner choke about 40 seconds before the end of the round.
In the second main event, American Chad Mendes defeated Brazilian Diego Brandao by unanimous decision. Mendes led throughout the fight, controlling his opponent's head in the stand-up fight, applying good takedowns, and playing great defense.
The next main event was a very technical, well-balanced battle with Portugal's Pedro Ramalho narrowly defeating Sweden's Max Lindblad by decision to win the title. With similar fighting styles, competitors exchanged holds and attacks while defending dangerous positions. Ramlho stood out with a good sweep and was particularly dangerous with his feet. Lindblad's standout moment was the foot lock attempt that put him over the top. In the end, though, Ramalho's persistence was rewarded.
Apart from the four main fights, 10 other bouts spiced up ADXC 5. In the opening bout, UAE's Balkis Al-Hashmi dominated her battle with Russia's Maria Odinsova. Making full use of his guard, Al Hashmi maintained control, implementing some promising attacks and using his local control to keep his opponent under pressure. Al-Hashmi won by unanimous decision.
Another Emirati fighter also won on home soil. Omar Al-Suwaidi defeated Samuel Marquez by unanimous decision in a fight that Al-Suwaidi dominated while maintaining high momentum.
Another great display of strength and technique by Iranian fighter Poya Rahmani in the ADXC cage saw him take down Hamdi Abdelwahab with a single leg and spread his arms into the crowd before sliding under Abdelwahab's neck and securing victory with a choke. Hold on.
Tunisian fighter Amin Boudhina was defeated by Brazil's Davy Vetorasi. Vettorasi attacked with a dangerous flying triangle from the start, then transitioned into an armbar attempt, which Boudhina saved. Later, Vetorasi faked a shoulder lock. When the Tunisian fighter spun to escape, Vetorassi locked in his victory arbor.
Kazakhstan's 19-year-old Selkhan Bolatbek scored a quick win against Netherlands' Imad Ahmadin and Chinese fighter Xiaosong Shi was defeated by American fighter Abe “The Killer” Alsaghir in a fast-paced match in which Alsaghir used the cage to his advantage. Shea had some good moments, including a particularly well-executed guillotine attempt in the second round, but Alsaghir kept up the pressure to win by unanimous decision.
