ADGS Dallas 2024: Masters stand out and take the gold in the tournament's first day

September 28, 2024

Less than a month after its previous competition, the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam World Tour is back with another explosive event, bringing the AJP's signature action to the US for a weekend of Jiu-Jitsu. Starting this Saturday, September 28th, the ADGS Dallas 2024 landed at the Curtis Culwell Center, in Texas, and welcomed Youths, Amateurs, and Masters to open the tournament and show their skills on the way to the podium.

With all fight areas broadcast live at the TX7.com platform, the black belts from the Master 1 division stole the show and had the attending crowd on the edge of their seats with stellar performances in all weight classes. Check out how each of the finals played out, and for the full results, click here.

MEN'S GI / BLACK / MASTER 1

56kg - Emerson Cassio vs Marko Oikarainen

Representing the School of Champs, the Brazilian Emerson Cassio conquered the 56kg division title. After beating the Colombian Jeison Mora by 6-1, Emerson went on to face the Finish Marko Oikarainen in the final. Having faced each other many times on the AJP mats, and even once on the ADXC cage, the competitors knew what to expect from each other, but that knowledge offered little help for Marko, who was overwhelmed in the first few seconds of the match as Emerson locked a winning armlock to add another high-profile victory to his name.

62kg - Carlos "Bebeto" Silva vs João Rodrigues

Entering a round-robin for the 62kg gold, GFTeam's Bebeto Silva won both matches to emerge victorious in Dallas. His first match was against his teammate Jhonatas Ramos, who got bested around the two-minute mark via submission. With one win under his belt in the bracket, Carlos went for his second fight, this time against João Rodrigues. There were no submissions, but Carlos still dominated the duel throughout the regulated time, taking the win by a whopping 14-0 to become the champion.

77kg - Thiago Marques vs Italo Lins

Three victories and three submissions for the experienced Thiago Marques in the 77kg division. After going through Rodrigo Martins and Ricardo Lima in the bracket, Thiago went up against Italo Lins in the gold round. The fight was tied at 1-1 in the first minute, but Thiago quickly found his chance to attack the foot and locked a toe hold to conquer the gold.

85kg - Jaime Canuto vs Sergio Rios

Showcasing the skillset he honed at the GFTeam mats, Jaime Canuto outscored two opponents on his way to the final, beating William Durkee by 3-1 in the quarterfinal and then Celso Ricardo by 3-0 in the semis. In the final match, Jaime went up against Sergio "Pichilinga" Rios and the fight took up the entirety of the regulated time, with Jaime emerging as the winner with a 4-0 score.

94kg - Fellipe Andrew vs Jackson Sousa

Fellipe Andrew was unstoppable in the 94kg division. After submitting both Leandro "Baião" Santos and Matheus "Tá Danado" Xavier in the bracket, Fellipe made his way into the final, in which he would face Jackson Sousa for the title. The fighters were evenly matched in the first half of the bout, with neither side managing to score any points, but things took a turn around the three-minute mark, as Felipe attacked from the guard with a triangle and then locked an armlock to get the three taps and his third victory of the day.

120kg - Felipe Bezerra vs Guilherme Cordiviola

A familiar face on AJP podiums, Commando Group's Felipe Bezerra added another gold medal to his resume after a successful campaign in the 120kg division. After beating Ryne Sandhagen and his teammate Guilherme Santos, Felipe faced Guilherme Cordiviola for the gold. Felipe set the tone for the fight with a beautiful takedown, following that with a guard pass and then ending the match with a kimura to become the champion.

WOMEN'S GI / BROWN / BLACK / MASTER 1

62kg - Lina Grosset vs Sarah OConnell

The French black belt Lina Grosset wasted no time while going through the 62kg bracket. After landing a submission over Brandy Hernandez in the first 30 seconds of the semifinal, Lina went up against Sarah OConnell in the gold round, quickly overwhelming her opponent and locking a straight footlock to take her spot atop the podium.

95kg - Monica Miranda vs Samanta Fonseca

Representing Rodrigo Pinheiro Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Monica Miranda fought twice against Samanta Fonseca before reaching the 95kg title. After quickly submitting Samanta in the first match, Monica went all out once again and landed a winning armlock to end her campaign with the gold medal.

With the first day completed, the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam World Tour Dallas 2024 now gears up for the Professional category on its second and final day. Follow @ajptour on social media to stay up-to-date on all the greatest tournaments around the world.