ADGS Rome 2024: Masters put their skills to the test as they seek the gold

April 13, 2024

After weeks of anticipation, the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam World Tour Rome 2024 is finally here. Starting this Saturday, April 13th, the tournament marks the ADGS' first foray into the land of gladiators, so it stands to reason that the most experienced fighters would take point and open the edition with their technical know-how. Such was the case and the Master category marched upon the Centro Olimpico Matteo Pellicone for an entire afternoon of competition, giving the attending crowd and fight fans watching on TX7.ae a memorable show.

But while each of the warriors had something to show in the mats today, the Jiu-Jitsu displayed by the black belts was a standout in the tournament. With 2000 ranking points on the line, the competitors went above and beyond expectations as they faced down their opponents and rose to the top spot on their respective podiums. Check out below how each of the black belt finals played out, and click here for the full results!

MEN

56kg - Emerson Silva vs Marko Oikarainen

The Brazilian Emerson Cassio came out on top in his duel against the Finnish Marko Oikarainen in the first Master 1 final. Marko was the first to score, taking down in the first minute with a beautiful double leg. However, Emerson quickly recovered, swept, and attacked on the foot to gain the lead with a 3-2. After attempting a guard pass and earning another point, Emerson ended up below while his opponent sought a pass of his own, but the former managed to defend well and, by the end of the match, went up and gained two more points, closing the score at 6-2 to take the gold.

62kg – Nicolas Ponce vs Alejandro Carrera

Chile and Spain clashed in the 62kg final as Nicolas Ponce and Alejandro Carrera fought for the title. After a careful start that landed the scoreboard at 1-1, Alejandro swept with a spin from the guard, completing the move with a foot attack to gain the lead at 3-1. Nicolas responded with a foot attack of his own and spun to go up, regaining the lead at 4-3. Still defending his foot, Alejandro spun to go on top and turned the tables yet again with a 5-4, but Nicolas used his explosiveness to go on top at the very last moment, gaining a single point for the danger without sweeping and taking the victory by scoring last.

69kg - Thiago Marques vs Thiago Macedo

Rivals Thiago Marques and Thiago Macedo put on another nerve-wracking duel. After the double pull, Macedo decided to play on top and gained the lead with a 1-0. Marques used all of his tricks from the guard to try and sweep his opponent, with a lot of back and forth throughout the match. Nearing the end, Macedo put pressure to reach the side, but Marques used his hips to spin and find his way to the top, gaining the two points he needed to close the match at 2-1 and take the win.

77kg - Gyula Szabo vs Krysztof Suchorabski

Representing Hungary, Gyula Szabo played well on top and beat the Polish Krysztof Suchorabski after rising from the double pull with a point, hitting the side, and attempting a back take. Earning another point for the dangerous moves, Gyula got the scoreboard at 2-0 and kept it there to become the 77kg division champion.

85kg - Ives Sacramento vs Luca Anacoreta

The Brazilian Ives Sacramento managed to beat the local star Luca Anacoreta in the fight for the 85kg gold. Anacoreta started ahead on the scoreboard by 2-0 after pulling and sweeping at the start, but Ives didn’t stay down and attempted a sweep, lowering the difference to 2-1. After some intense spinning that earned both sides a single point, Luca still had the lead at 3-2, but when the Italian athlete attempted a sweep, Ives went straight for the mount, putting himself ahead by 8-3 and reaching the top of the podium in Rome.

94kg - Jackson Sousa vs Roberto Frias

Jackson Sousa got a victory over Australian-based Brazilian Roberto Frias in the 94kg final. After going up with a dangerous attack on the neck, which landed Jackson the lead by 2-0, the duel became fierce between the two competitors. A double penalty brought the score to its final 3-1, with Jackson retaining the lead to conquer the gold.

120kg - Rodrigo Ribeiro vs Felipe Bezerra

A high-octane battle between Felipe and Rodrigo. After an intense exchange of grips while standing up throughout the regulated time, the fight went on to the Golden Score. In a defining move, Felipe pulled and tried to sweep in a single motion, but Rodrigo avoided the attempt, spun to the side, and tried to take the back, earning the single point he needed to break the tie and take the win.

WOMEN

49kg - Serena Gabrielli vs Flavia Quintareli

Fighting in her home country, Serena Gabrielli kept the 49kg division gold in Italy. In her duel against the Brazilian Flavia Quintareli, Serena pulled and positioned herself sideways to attack with a triangle, shifting to the arm. Flávia got her shoulder out of the lock and avoided the submission, but Serena still got the winning point for the dangerous attempt.

55kg - Ariadne Oliveira vs Simona Rinkova

The Brazilian Ariadne Oliveira offered no quarter to the Czech Republic’s Simona Rinkova in the 55kg final. Ariadne started by putting pressure on Simona, who pulled and ended up in half guard. With a lot of pressure, Ariadne passed, mounted, and submitted with a choke from the mount, seizing the win while giving her opponent no chance to react.

62kg - Violeta Angelova vs Matina Kallivoka

The Bulgarian competitor Violeta Angelova took home the gold medal after beating Greece’s Matina Kallivoka in great fashion. Matina pulled and attacked well with a triangle, but Violeta kept her stance high, passed the guard, and took the 62kg division title with a 3-0 score.

70kg - Denise Krahn vs Anais Vintalas

The German athlete Denise Krahn showed a lot of determination when beating Switzerland’s Anais Vintalas. After getting swept and losing the lead on the scoreboard, Denise attacked twice with a leglock, landing the second one and taking the 70kg division gold via submission.

95kg - Yasmira Dias vs Marwa Alhousani

A quick victory for AJP veteran Yasmira Dias. In a duel against the brave UAE purple belt Marwa Alhousani, Yasmira went straight for the leglock and then went up to score 2-0. Marwa positioned herself well and defended another attack on her foot, but ended up falling victim to a second leg attack by Yasmira, who took the win and the 95kg division title.

With the Master category duels out of the way, the ADGS Rome now gears up to receive the Professional category this Sunday, April 14th. Click here to see who among the Jiu-Jitsu's elite registered to compete in Rome and, if you haven't already, go to TX7.ae to relive the thrills of the tournament's first day and to watch live the action on the second and last day of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Rome 2024.