ADXC 8: Jafel Filho, Roberto Cyborg, Khaled Al Shehhi, and all the champions of Al Ain

December 6, 2024

Taking place this Friday, December 6th, the eighth edition of the Abu Dhabi Extreme Championship brought the organization back to the UAE and put on another memorable event for fight fans. Held at the Adnec Centre, in Al Ain, the competition featured 13 matches between some of the best competitors from both Jiu-Jitsu and MMA, using the amazing structure of the ADXC to deliver an amazing show of lights and sounds as each of the warriors entered Grappling's most famous cage.

Headlining the tournament with a Grappling match, the Main Event saw Jafel Filho defeat Amir Albazi after a balanced duel throughout the five regulated rounds. Fighting out of Brazil, Jafel was highly aggressive at all times, countering takedown attempts with guillotines, sweeping, passing, and even taking the back after a particularly dangerous sequence that almost ended with his opponent subbed. For his part, Amir did a great job with single and double-legs, but the offensiveness of Jafel's game helped the Brazilian to convince the referees, who gave him the victory unanimously.

"I'm happy for the opportunity to compete in the ADXC", cheered Jafel. "My opponent is the top 3 in my MMA weight division, so I trained a lot for this fight and I'm very happy with the results."

Meanwhile, Roberto Cyborg added another victory to his ADXC record in the Co-Main Event. Up against the big guy Haisam Rida in a Grappling bout, Cyborg went all-out with his takedown game, bringing Haisam down multiple times over the course of the match. In the latter rounds, Haisam seemed to have found his pace and even made a couple of dangerous moves, but his Brazilian opponent managed to avoid the riskier positions and took the win via split decision.

In addition to the Main and Co-Main Events, the ADXC 8 also had another 11 duels to spice up the night of the tournament. Check out below how the Main Card, Showcase, and Prelim matches went down.

MAIN CARD

Khaled Al Shehhi vs Thalison Soares (Jiu-Jitsu bout)

In another stellar performance, Khaled Al Shehhi showed the world why he's considered one of the best Emirati athletes in the sport by beating the heavily decorated Thalison Soares in the ADXC cage. Coming as the favorite for the bout, Thalison played guard and tried to use his dangerous game to get the better of his opponent, but Khaled's fast passes and intense pressure from the top gave him the upper hand against the Brazilian. To solidify his victory, Khaled managed to get Thalison in the turtle position in the last stretch of the duel, taking the back in the final moments and unanimously convincing the referees.

Movlid Khaybulaev vs James Gallagher (Grappling bout)

A Sambo master taking the stage in Al Ain, Movlid Khaybulaev entered the ADXC cage armed with all his experience to take down and put pressure on James Gallagher throughout the duel. James tried to submit Movlid with his guillotine choke on all three rounds, but the Russian avoided the dangerous move and almost got a submission himself, winning over the referees and taking the victory by unanimous decision.

Maria Luisa Delahaye vs Brenda Larissa (Jiu-Jitsu bout)

Relentless in her submission attempts, Maria Luisa Delahaye used her aggressiveness to overcome Brenda Larissa's competitive experience. Whether it was armbar, triangle, or omoplata, Maria was always on the lookout for a chance to get the three taps from her opponent. For her part, Brenda had some good moments in the match and brought danger with some precise attacks, but Maria avoided the submissions while still maintaining her offensive stance. At the end of it all, Maria's effectiveness landed her the win via unanimous decision.

SHOWCASE

Daniel Poncio vs Thor Koringa (Grappling bout)

Another strong performance by the fearsome Daniel 220v in the ADXC. Facing his Brazilian compatriot Thor Koringa in the cage, Daniel managed to pass, mount, and take the back on all three rounds, locking a tight rear-naked choke and ending the bout in the final moments of the last round.

Saif Al Ameri vs Pablo Henrique (Jiu-Jitsu bout)

In a well-balanced match between Saif and Pablo, the latter had a better start working from the top, trying to pass, and attempt an arm submission, but the latter weathered the attacks and used his berimbolo to go up, trying to take the back and even taking aim at the collar for a last-minute submission in the final moments. With his resilience and effectiveness, Saif managed to win over the referees and emerged victorious via unanimous decision.

Salem Al Qubaisi vs Mukhammad Ramazanov (Jiu-Jitsu bout)

Fighting in his homeland, the Emirati Salem Al Qubaisi made short work of Mukhammad Ramazanov in the ADXC cage. Going all out from the start, Salem pulled guard, went up, and attacked with a cross choke, prompting Mukhammad to go on the defensive and try to alleviate some of the pressure. However, Salem's grips and body positioning were all executed flawlessly, and the three taps came after less than a minute in the first round.

PRELIMINARY CARD

Omar Alfadhli vs Nicolás Ponce (Jiu-Jitsu bout)

Playing from the bottom, Omar Alfadhli had the best of his game on full display as he swept Nicolás Ponce on all three rounds of his duel. In the final round, Omar tried to mount, but Nicolás managed to use the lapel to counter his opponent. Nevertheless, Omar had a better overall performance and unanimously convinced the referees.

Mido Mohamed vs Bakhromjon Ruziev (Grappling bout)

In a surprising turn of events, Mido Mohamed conquered the win with a sequence in the last moments of his duel. Starting behind on the scoreboard against Bakhromjon Ruziev after a beautiful double-leg takedown in the first round, Mido went on the offensive throughout the following rounds and attacked with a very dangerous heel hook in the last one, not getting the three taps from Ruziev but still winning over the referees and coming out on top via unanimous decision.

Abdulmalik Al-Murdhi vs Eduardo Farfan (Jiu-Jitsu bout)

A very balanced duel between highly technical opponents Abdulmalik and Eduardo, with the former working well from the top in the first round and the latter using his guard game to come out on top in the second round. With the stalemate progressing into the final round, the stakes were at an all-time high for the competitors and they went all out until the bell rang, with Abdulmalik taking the win via split decision.

Craig McIntosh vs Ahmed Al Bousairi (Grappling bout)

Seeking the fight more actively throughout the three rounds, Craig McIntosh attacked with a dangerous darce choke in the first round, with Ahmed Al Bousairi being quite literally saved by the bell and avoiding the submission. The athletes exchanged foot attacks in the following rounds, but Craig worked better from the top and managed to convince all referees to emerge victorious.

Shamma Al Kalbani vs Peiqin Ge (Jiu-Jitsu bout)

Opening the tournament, the Emirati Shamma Al Kalbani put the pedal to the metal and unleashed multiple submission attempts throughout the duel. Her opponent Peiqin Ge tried to work her game from the top, but Shamma's unpredictable guard was a constant threat to the Chinese athlete as Shamma attacked with triangle and armbar attempts. When the clock ran out, Shamma took the first win of the ADXC 8 via unanimous decision.

ADXC 8

DECEMBER 6TH

AL AIN, UAE

MAIN CARD

Jafel Filho defeated Amir Albazi via unanimous decision

Roberto Cyborg defeated Haisam Rida via split decision

Khaled Al Shehhi defeated Thalison Soares via unanimous decision

Movlid Khaybulaev defeated James Gallagher via unanimous decision

Maria Luisa Delahaye defeated Brenda Larissa via unanimous decision

SHOWCASE

Daniel Poncio defeated Thor Koringa via RNC (R3 0:39)

Saif Al Ameri defeated Pablo Henrique via split decision

Salem Al Qubaisi defeated Mukhammad Ramazanov via cross choke (R1 4:39)

PRELIMINARY CARD

Omar Alfadhli defeated Nicolás Ponce via unanimous decision

Mido Mohamed defeated Bakhromjon Ruziev via unanimous decision

Abdulmalik Al-Murdhi defeated Eduardo Farfan via split decision

Craig McIntosh defeated Ahmad Al Bousairi via unanimous decision

Shamma Al Kalbani defeated Peiqin Ge via unanimous decision