ADGS Xi'An 2024: Professionals close the tournament with stellar performances

October 20, 2024

After three days of pure action, the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam World Tour Xi'An 2024 is completed. Taking place at the Shaanxi Sports Training Center between October 18th and 20th, the tournament attracted athletes of all ages and graduations as the tour made its debut in China.

After the Masters on the first day and the Youths on the second, the Amateurs and Professionals were tasked with keeping the momentum going as they closed the event this Sunday, October 20th. While all competitors lived up to the challenge, the black belts from the Professional category went above and beyond as they took the stage and fought for gold and glory on the AJP mats. Check out how each of the finals played out below, and for the full results, click here.

MEN'S GI / BLACK / PROFESSIONAL

56kg - Haithan Hanawi vs Jose Filho

Entering a round-robin for the 56kg title, the Emirati Haitham Hanawi added another gold for his collection in the AJP. After beating Junyi Wu in the first round of the bracket, Haitham faced the Brazilian Jose Filho in the last match, making the decisive move early on as he unleashed a dangerous foot attack that earned him the lead on the scoreboard by 1-0. Jose tried to pass multiple times, but Haitham's guard was rock solid and he managed to control the match until the clock ran out, taking the win and the top spot on the podium.

62kg - Welison Fernandes vs Lei Gao

With two wins in a round-robin, Welison Fernandes conquered the 62kg bracket. After beating Haojie Gao, the Brazilian athlete went up against Lei Gao for the title. The match started in a very balanced fashion, with Welison playing guard and Lei trying to pass, but around halfway through the duel, the rhythm shifted and Welison took complete control, going up, passing, putting the knee on the stomach, and then mounting, adding up to 12-0. With the fight restarted in the middle in the last few seconds, Lei made a heroic attempt at a flying armbar, but Welison defended well and took the win by 12-0.

69kg - Rogerio Luz vs Nariman Mynbayev

Representing MOD UAE in the tournament, Rogerio Luz became the 69kg champ in China. Facing Nariman Mynbayev in the final, Rogerio started by pulling and attacking with a triangle before sweeping with two points. Working from the top, Rogerio put all his pressure to look for a pass, found his way to the back, and ended the match with a choke. Very emotive after his victory, Rogerio celebrated with the gold medal hanging from his shoulders.

77kg - Jefferson Goteu vs Iurii Kuznetsov

In a blink-and-you-miss-it final, the Commando Group ace Jefferson Goteu defeated the Russian Iurii Kuznetsov and conquered the 77kg title. Iurii started the match on the offensive, going for the legs to take the Brazilian down, but Jefferson used the move to grab his opponent and slide to the back. Iurii tried to defend himself in the turtle position, but Jefferson placed a firm grip on the collar and got the submission with a choke from the back.

85kg - Artem Kaygarodov vs Daniel Soares

After taking the gold in the Master category, the Russian Artem Kaygarodov had another stellar campaign and got his second title in China. Facing Daniel Soares in the final, Artem kicked off the match by pulling to the half-guard before going around and locking a sneaky leglock with less than a minute on the clock.

94kg - Luiz Henrique Betta vs Pedro Jordão

Luiz Henrique Betta adds another ADGS gold to his resumé. Facing his compatriot Pedro Jordão in the 94kg final, Betta started the duel with a takedown and took the lead with a 2-0 score. Working from below, Pedro used his half-guard to try and sweep, but Betta kept his balance, got another point after almost passing, and ended the match with a 3-0 on the scoreboard.

120kg - Catriel Rodrigues vs Wallace Costa

Representing MOD UAE, Catriel Rodrigues got the win over Wallace Costa and became the 120kg champion. After Wallace pulled with a lasso guard, Catriel put his grips on the collar and pants to look for a pass before attempting a back take. Wallace managed to defend both moves, but Catriel still got a point for almost passing. Behind on the scoreboard, Wallace went on the offensive and tried to sweep multiple times, but Catriel held steady and got a guard pass in the final moments of the fight, taking the top spot on the podium with a 4-0 score.

WOMEN'S GI / BROWN / BLACK / PROFESSIONAL

49kg - Jiedan Xu vs Candy Heng

In a best-of-three bracket, the Chinese Jiedan Xu beat Candy Heng two times in a row and conquered the 49kg title. After Jiedan took the first win by 10-0, the second bout started with Candy going up from the double pull and taking the lead by 1-0. Jiedan followed with a triangle attempt and Candy received a penalty for an illegal grip, tying the score. Jiedan then attacked with an armbar before going for the back and almost locking a choke, taking two more points for the sequence and ending the match with a 3-1 score.

55kg - Lina Grosset vs Yin Yi Wang

Champion in the Master category, Lina Grosset found her way back to the mats and took another title in the ADGS Xi'An after beating Yin Yi Wang. With 1-1 on the scoreboard, after neither athlete went up from the double pull, Lina pulled and went up with two points. Yin responded with a triangle attempt, but Lina managed to avoid the submission and kept controlling the match from the top. In the final minute of the fight, Yin got her second punishment, this time giving Lina two more points and closing the duel at 5-1 for the French athlete.

62kg - Rafaela Bertolot vs Yunlu Fang

The 62kg final brought a thrilling match between Rafaela Bertolot and Yunlu Fang. With Yunlu pulling a lasso guard and Rafaela working from the top, the Brazilian used her pressure to almost reach the side, but Yunlu showed her resilience and avoided the pass at the last second. With one point for the move, Rafaela maintained her onslaught, almost getting a submission before taking the back and increasing her advantage to 6-0. Ahead on the scoreboard, Rafaela decided to control the match and ended up getting a penalty for lack of combativeness in the final moments of the bout, taking the win and the title by 6-1.

70kg - Yuan Zhou vs Marwa Alhosani

The Chinese Yuan Zhou showed her skills and got the ADGS gold in her homeland after beating Marwa Alhosani. With 1-1 on the scoreboard after neither athlete went up from the double pull, Marwa pulled guard and tried to sweep, but Yuan kept her balance and took the lead with a 2-1 after almost passing. After Marwa tied the score again, Yuan used her spider guard to throw her opponent off balance and nearly swept, gaining another point and ending the match with a 3-2 score to become the 70kg division champion.

95kg - Yara Soares vs Meng Xiang

Two fights and two submissions for Yara Soares in the 95kg division. Facing the Chinese Meng Xiang in a best-of-three bracket, Yara entered highly aggressive for her second and final match, scoring 13-0 before getting the three taps around the two-minute mark.