ADGS Abu Dhabi: Professionals close the season in style on the last day of the tournament

May 18, 2025

After three days of high-octane competition, the last chapter of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam World Tour has finally concluded. Making its way to the Mubadala Arena one last time, the ADGS Abu Dhabi welcomed the Professional category this Sunday, May 18th, to showcase their top-tiered skills as they fought for the coveted ADGS gold and the honor of becoming Heroes of the season.

Fighting alongside the talented purple and brown belts, the black belts from the Professional category stole the spotlight with their performances as they sought to take the lead in their respective weight classes. Check out below how each of the Professional Black Belt finals played out, and click here for the full results.

MEN

56kg - Bruno Borges vs Cauã Leonor

The experienced Bruno Borges got the better of rookie black belt Cauã Leonor in the 56kg final. Working from the top with a lot of pressure, Bruno opened the scoreboard by almost taking the back, with Cauã staying on top after defending and tying the score at 1-1 after almost passing. Not long after, Bruno landed a sweep to break the stalemate and saw his advantage grow as his opponent received a penalty because of an illegal grip. With both athletes now on their feet, Bruno pulled guard once again and managed another sweep in the final moments of the fight, getting another point for almost taking the back as the regulated time ended and coming out on top with a 7-1 score.

62kg - Andrew Santos vs Welison Fernandes

After a very balanced duel in the 62kg gold round, Andrew Santos emerged as the winner in the ADGS Abu Dhabi. Facing the favorite Welison Fernandes, Andrew worked from the top from the get-go, keeping his hips high to avoid his opponent's sweep attempts while looking for his chance to pass. The match was locked in this stalemate until the end of the regulated time and continued this way into the Golden Score, with Andrew maintaining his pressure to look for a pass until the last possible second. At the end of it all, the referees decided that Andrew was the most effective throughout the bout and gave him the win.

69kg - Nurzhan Batyrbekov vs Thiago Macedo

Fighting out of Kazakhstan, Nurzhan Batyrbekov had an amazing run in the last ADGS of the season and got the better of the experienced Thiago Macedo in the 69kg division final. Thiago started ahead on the scoreboard by going up from the double pull, but Nurzhan used his lasso guard to sweep and put the scoreboard at 2-1. Now working from the top to avoid his opponent's guard, Nurzhan started looking for his chance to pass, but Thiago managed to stop his adversary and started setting up a sweep. Nurzhan avoided the danger by drawing a little distance, prompting Thiago to stand up before the former pulled and swept to raise the score to 4-1 and become the champion.

77kg - Lucas Protasio vs Jefferson Goteu

In a clash of rivals, the 77kg final saw Lucas Protasio overcome Jefferson Goteu to take the title. The match began with both sides exchanging grips and takedown attempts while standing up, with Jefferson making good double-leg attempts and Lucas trying to bring his opponent down with a single-leg. Halfway through the duel, Jefferson pulled with a lasso guard, starting a battle of attrition with Lucas trying to break the grips while the former attempted to position himself to sweep. With no points scored through the regulated time and Golden Score, the results were left up to the referees, who decided in favor of the Checkmat black belt.

85kg - Uanderson Ferreira vs Rui Neto

The showman Uanderson Ferreira added another title to his resumé after beating his rival Rui Alves Neto in the 85kg final match. Opening the match with a great single-leg takedown, Uanderson started ahead with a 2-0 score and started looking for the pass while Rui used his guard to avoid the movement and try to sweep. With a double penalty for lack of combativeness after neither athlete managed to advance the fight, the scoreboard closed on 3-1 and gave Uanderson the win, with the Baniyas Jiu-Jitsu Club black belt cheerfully dancing after the official announcement.

94kg - Vladimir Blium vs Renato Cardoso

Representing Gojira Jiu-Jitsu, Vladimir Blium got the better of Renato Cardoso in the 94kg final. With Renato pulling guard and Vladimir looking for the pass, the match was locked in a stalemate and ground to a halt in the first few minutes, resulting in three consecutive double penalties for lack of combativeness. The duel was restarted from the middle with both athletes standing up and the scoreboard sitting at 6-6, with Vladimir pulling and landing a sweep in the final stretch of the bout to take the lead. Renato fought back and went up with a single-leg in the last moments, but didn't manage to complete the sweep and earned only one point, ending the final with an 8-7 score and giving the Russian black belt the title.

120kg - Alexander Sak vs Felipe Bezerra

After a duel of wits and strength, Alexander Sak overcame the favorite Felipe Bezerra for the 120kg title. After three double penalties for lack of combativeness, Felipe tried a couple of takedowns but Alexander defended and attacked with a single-leg, briefly putting his opponent to the ground but still not scoring any points. The match continued tied throughout the regulated time and Golden Score, leaving the result up to the referees, who decided in favor of Alexander.

WOMEN

49kg - Diana Teixeira vs Grasielle Brandão

The Atos representative Diana Teixeira added another gold medal to her resumé after beating Grasielle Brandão in the 49kg final. Playing guard throughout the match, Diana showcased her agility and flexibility as she defended every single pass attempt while trying to dominate the lapel to set up a sweep. For her part, Grasielle kept the pressure high while working on top, but Diana used her grips to maintain control of the fight and emerged victorious by the referees' decision.

55kg - Gabriela Pereira vs Maria Luisa Delahaye

The 55kg division saw the rise of Gabriela Pereira, a Brothers Club black belt who took the title after beating the favorite Maria Luisa Delahaye. After a double penalty for not going up from the double pull, Gabriela went up from the second double pull and took the lead at 2-1. Using her lasso guard, Maria tried to set up a sweep, but Gabriela exerted her pressure to remain stable while she looked for the pass. Growing more restless as the time passed, Maria tried to line up a submission attack, but ended up making an illegal grip and received her second penalty, giving Gabriela the win by 4-1.

62kg - Tamara Toros vs Rafaela Bertolot

Fighting out of Hungary, Tamara Toros showcased her skills and became the 62kg champion. Facing Rafaela Bertolot in the final, Tamara pulled and controlled her opponent before shifting to the 50-50 guard, almost sweeping with a single-leg and getting one point for the attempt. Rafa used her pressure to look for a pass, but Tamara kept her in check until the clock ran out, taking the win and the top spot on the podium with a 1-0 score.

70kg - Thamara Silva vs Anna Remneva

Thamara Silva took the top spot on the podium after beating Anna Remneva in the 70kg division final. Anna started the match by pulling and Thamara stood up to open the guard before breaking her opponent's grips and trying to pass. Anna held on and managed to replace her guard, but Thamara still received a point for the move and continued to attack to reach the side, eventually passing and putting the knee on the stomach to raise the score to 6-0. Thamara then tried to mount, but Anna avoided the advance, and both fighters stood up, with Anna receiving a penalty for pulling guard with no grips and closing the scoreboard at 7-0.

95kg - Yara Nascimento vs Isabely Lemos

After securing a victory over Stefhanie Costa in the semifinal, the Fratres powerhouse Yara Nascimento made her way to the gold round ready to fight for the title, but her opponent Isabely Lemos was unable to compete, and Yara became the champion by default.

Meet the 2024-2025 Heroes

Following the AJP's tradition, the top-ranked athletes of each weight class were welcomed on the stage to receive the title of "Heroes of the Season". With eight tournaments in the calendar and one champion per division, here are the 2024-2025 Heroes:

MEN

Light Featherweight (56kg): Omar Ali Alsuwaidi - 11200 Points

Featherweight (62kg): Yuri Hendrex - 11000 Points

Lightweight (69kg): Thiago Macedo - 10200 Points

Welterweight (77kg): Jefferson Goteu - 16400 Points

Middleweight (85kg): Uanderson Ferreira - 14000 Points

Light Heavyweight (94kg): Luiz Henrique Betta - 11800 Points

Super Heavyweight (120kg): Felipe Bezerra - 12600 Points

WOMEN

Roosterweight (49kg): Diana Teixeira - 17200 Points

Light Featherweight (55kg): Lina Grosset - 7600 Points

Lightweight (62kg): Julia Alves - 12100 Points

Middleweight (70kg): Giovanna Carneiro - 8400 Points

Heavyweight (95kg): Yara Nascimento - 18000 Points