ADGS Abu Dhabi: Professional black belts show their best performances in the last tournament of the season

May 12, 2024

After an entire season of traveling and bringing top-tiered action to the main capitals of the globe, the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam World Tour returned home once again, ready to put on another memorable tournament in the beautiful landscape of the UAE. The ADGS Abu Dhabi welcomed the Youth category last Friday, May 10th, followed by the Amateurs and Masters on the following day, but this Sunday, May 12th, the Professionals rose to the AJP mats set up at the modern Mubadala Arena to conquer the gold and glory of becoming an ADGS champion in the organization's birthplace.

As expected, the black belts were the highlights of the day. Living up to the title of "Elite of Jiu-Jitsu", these competitors spared no efforts in their race to the top of the podium, masterfully using their strength and technique to overcome their opponents as they advanced through the brackets to reach the gold medal. Check out below how each of the Professional Black Belt finals played out, and for the full results, click here!

MEN’S GI / BLACK / PROFESSIONAL

56kg – Theyab Alnuaimi vs Gevorg Arutyunyan

A great victory for UAE athlete Theyab, who kept the Bantamweight gold medal in his homeland. In the duel against Gevorg, who started behind on the scoreboard by not entering the mat when called by the referee, putting the scoreboard at 1-0, Theyab quickly increased it to 3-0, pulling and quickly going up. Gevorg returned the sweep, but Theyab soon found his way to the top again, making the score 5-2. Gevorg still swept in the final minute of the fight, but Theyab managed to lock him in the closed guard and prevented any advances from his opponent, holding a 5-4 score to emerge victorious.

62kg - Khaled Alshehhi vs Kalel Santos

A well-balanced fight between Kalel and Khaled. Kalel took the lead when he came up from the double pull, opening the score with a 1-0. Khaled adjusted himself underneath and went up without sweeping, but scored the draw point. Playing underneath with a guard, Khaled avoided his opponent's advances and both athletes ended up punished for lack of combativeness. In the overtime, the fighters remained evenly matched, but the referees decided that Khaled had the best actions throughout the bout and the Emirati got the win.

69kg - Diego Batista vs Dzhimsher Razmadze

Diego Pato once again won gold at the AJP. Facing the Georgian athlete Dzhimsher Razmadze, who went straight for the foot in the fight's first attack, Diego used his opponent's move to slide to the back. Without stabilizing the position and coming out on top with points from the sweep and a point for almost taking the back, Diego controlled the actions and increased his advantage on the scoreboard to 5-0 after almost reaching the side twice, taking the title via points.

77kg - Lucas Protasio vs Luiz Paulo Medeiros

In a duel of ADWPJJC champions, Lucas came out on top. With a lot of tenacity, Lucas managed to take Luiz Paulo down and score 2-0, going on to maintain constant pressure on top. Lucas got another point after briefly hitting the side, closing the match with 3-0 on the scoreboard to take the 77kg division title. 

85kg - Uanderson Ferreira vs Pedro Silva

Uanderson once again put on a show for the crowd in Abu Dhabi. In the 85kg final, Pedro Silva started off by pulling guard, but Uanderson ignored the danger of getting swept and dove straight to take the back. Without even placing the hooks, Uanderson went all-out to get the submission, grabbing hold of the collar and strangling to add another title to his career.

94kg - Jackson Sousa vs Luiz Henrique Betta

Jackson and Luiz Henrique had a very careful duel in the first few moments, both standing up without making any moves that would leave them exposed. That cautious demeanor earned both athletes two punishments for lack of combativeness and put the scoreboard at 3-3, but Jackson seized the chance to tip the scales in his favor, landing a beautiful seoi-nage takedown on his opponent and closing the scoreboard at 5-3 to become the 94kg division champion.

120kg - Felipe Bezerra vs Yatan Bueno

Felipe and Yatan had another tough battle being decided by the details. Yatan opened by aiming at his opponent's heel and making a good takedown attempt, but Felipe managed to avoid getting thrown. Felipe followed that exchange by pulling guard and deftly positioning his knee sideways to reach Yatan's side. Without stabilizing the position, Felipe still managed to score that crucial point that allowed him to stay ahead on the scoreboard and conquer the 120kg division title.

WOMEN’S GI / BROWN / BLACK / PROFESSIONAL

49kg - Diana Teixeira vs Brenda Larissa

A turnaround marked the 49kg division final. Evenly matched as always, Diana and Brenda displayed top-notch technical levels in the bout. Brenda used her lasso guard and Diana attacked with a triangle, without submitting or scoring. After no points were earned by either side, the duel was called to overtime. However, before the match restarted, the Falcon Eye, a video replay tool used by the table officials, identified an illegal grip by Brenda in the final minutes of the regulated time, breaking the tie and giving Diana the 1-0 score that would put her atop the podium.

55kg - Ariadne Oliveira vs Beatriz Campos

Ariadne secured the victory with a composure that only an experienced athlete can show in a division final. Opening the scoreboard with a 1-0 after almost passing the guard, Ariadne was caught off-guard by a beautiful reversal from Beatriz, who went up grabbing her opponent's waist to take down and turn the score to 2-1. Ariadne responded with a sweep and Beatriz promptly returned it, putting the scoreboard at 4-3. In the final stretch, playing from the closed guard, Ariadne attacked with a loop choke, and while Beatriz managed to defend, the attack was dangerous enough to tie the score at 4-4. Having scored last, Ariadne took the win and the 55kg title. 

62kg - Julia Alves vs Yara Kakish

Another high-profile victory for Julia in the AJP. After opening her duel against Yara Kakish by sweeping and almost mounting, Julia went back to her guard and went for the arm, an attack that Yara defended well. Without giving up, Julia feinted a spin to sweep and attempted another armbar, this time locking the submission and taking the gold medal.

70kg - Rafaela Bertolot vs Gabriele Schuck

A Jiu-Jitsu teacher in the UAE, Rafaela Bertolot proved she's just as talented in the competitive environment. Facing Gabriele Schuck in the final, Rafaela had the best actions on top, first scoring by almost reaching the side and then increasing her advantage by attempting a dangerous foot attack. When the clock ran out, a 2-0 score gave Rafaela the 70kg division title. 

94kg - Isabely Lemos vs Maria Carolina Vicentini

GFTeam's brown belt Isabely Lemos had a great run at the ADGS Abu Dhabi. After beating Yara Soares in the semifinal, Isabely came full throttle to face AOJ's Maria Carolina Vicentini and, after two high-pressure guard passes, Isabely accrued six points and closed the final scoreboard with a sound 6-1 to take the win and become the 94kg division champion.