ADWPJJC: Masters fight tooth and nail to take the gold in Abu Dhabi

November 7, 2023

This Tuesday, November 7th, the second and last day of the Abu Dhabi World Masters Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2023 took over the Mubadala Arena and welcomed the most experienced athletes of the competitive scene as they fought to earn the title of champion in the capital of Jiu-Jitsu.

After a first day of high-octane action, with black belts fighting for a spot at the main bracket in the country qualifiers and colored belts showcasing their prowess as they vied for a chance to advance in the sport, the tournament once again opened its battlefield for the men and women of the Master category.

The highlights were, as expected, the finals of the Master 1 division, with the athletes leaving their hearts on the mats as they fought for a chance to climb the podium. Check out how each final went down below and don't miss the action schedule for the next days, as the Professionals take over the mats. Watch live at TX7.ae !

Men's Gi / Master 1 / Black Belt

56kg - Emerson Cassio Silva vs. Masaaki Todokoro

In the lighter men's division, the Brazilian Cassio Silva got the better of Japanese Masaaki Todokoro, who started the fight by pulling guard. Cassio tried a leglock spin and went up, then pulled and swept, opening the score at 2-0. After pressing on the side and passing the guard, making it 5-0, he left the north-south position to try and take Masaaki's back. Without stabilizing the hooks, Cassio attacked the arm and earned another point on the scoreboard. Masaaki still received a point in his favor after an illegal grip from his opponent, but Cassio still took the win, conquering the title with a 6-1 score.

62kg – Hiago George vs. Nariman Mynbayev

A renowned player in AJP's biggest tournaments, Hiago George displayed complete dominance and confirmed his favoritism. At the beginning of the fight, Kazakhstan's Nariman Mynbayev pulled a half-guard. Hiago applied pressure and gained a point for almost passing, before reaching the side control with the three points. With a 4-0 score in his favor, Hiago disconnected before once again passing the guard and mounting twice in a row, raising the scoreboard to a whopping 18-0, ending the match in another major win for the Brazilian.

69kg - Thiago Marques vs. Gairbeg Ibragimov

A veteran of AJP tournaments, Brazilian Thiago Marques had an exciting duel against Gairbeg Ibragimov, from Russia. Gairbeg took the lead on the scoreboard when he landed a beautiful takedown, pulling Thiago with an ankle pick. Behind on the scoreboard by two points, Thiago managed to even the score after successfully defending against a foot attack. Thiago got another point after Gairbeg used an illegal grip, and went on to further increase his lead with a foot attack, putting the score at 4-2. Without faltering, Gairbeg rose again to even the score and take the lead 4-4. Being the last to score, the Russian came close to victory, but Thiago once again came dangerously close to going up, and with Gairbeg once again using an illegal grip, the Brazilian locked a triangle until the clock ran out, taking the victory by a 6-4 score.

77kg – Ali Monfaradi vs. Talison Costa

Bahraini athlete Ali Monfaradi closed his great 2023 season with a title at the World Masters. Facing the experienced Talison Costa, Ali had a tricky match against the Brazilian. Talison started in the lead on the scoreboard, almost taking down and catching the back, but still taking a 2-0 for the attempt. Ali entered with his dangerous half-guard and tied the score at 2-2. Talison attacked with the footlock and went up to make it 4-2. Underneath, Ali did a nice spin and went up trying to get the back. Two points were scored by attacking attempts, drawing 4-4. As he was the last to score, Ali conquered the win that will remain etched in the memory of Elements JJ Bahrain.

85kg - Flavio Vianna vs. Janos Estergal

Intense exchange standing up in the duel between Brazilian Flavio Vianna and German Janos Estergal. After receiving a punishment for not engaging in the fight, Flavio saw Janos take the lead at 1-0 and intensified his game. Flavio went down without stabilizing, tying at 1-1. With a double punishment for lack of combativeness, Flavio's second punishment, the score was 3-2 for Janos. Flavio then went for a risky takedown and, without completely landing the move, earned the point he needed to tie the score again and take the win by scoring last.

94kg - Renato Cardoso vs. Roberto Dib Frias

UAE-based Brazilian Renato Cardoso was once again a standout on the mats of the Mubadala Arena. After winning a thrilling semi-final against superstar Jackson Sousa, Renato faced Australian Roberto Dib Frias in the final. Roberto rose from the double pull and started ahead with 1-0, but Renato soon adjusted himself to attack Roberto's leg. By raising his hips, Renato managed to fully extend the leglock, winning by submission and taking another gold medal.

120kg - Felipe Bezerra vs. Justin Primrose

In the 120kg division final, the Brazilian Felipe Bezerra completely dominated the Canadian Justin Primrose, giving the latter no room to try and fight back. After opening the score with a takedown in the first seconds of the fight, Felipe increased the score from 2-0 to 5-0 with a lot of pressure on the guard pass. Upon arriving on the side, he controlled the actions, dominated Justin's hips, and stabilized the winning score until the final whistle, taking the win via points.

Women's Gi / Master 1 / Brown / Black Belt

49kg – Laura Peretti vs. Kacie Tan

Representing Italy, Laura Peretti showed a lot of technique in her duel against Thai Kacie Tan, who made the first action of the fight by jumping into closed guard. Laura opened her guard and used her knee to get to the side. Without completing the pass but scoring 1-0, Laura didn't stop and brought constant danger to Kacie's guard. By almost completing the pass again, Laura gained another point and closed the final duel with 2-0 on the scoreboard.

55kg - Ariadne de Oliveira vs. Chingwen Huang

Ariadne Oliveira gifted the crowd with a good showing of Jiu-Jitsu in her match against Taiwan's Chingwen Huang. In a quick move, Ariadne pulled guard and then went up, scoring 2-0. Upon reaching the side, she passed to raise the scoreboard to 5-0 before trying a kata-gatame. Without completing the submission, Ariadne took the back and attacked with the winning choke. A Submission and a well-deserved gold medal for the Brazilian from the Al Ain Jiu-Jitsu Club.

62kg - Nadia Melo vs. Violeta Angelova

Nadia Melo was the main name of the 62kg division. Her duel against Bulgarian Violeta Angelova started slowly, with punishment for both sides for lack of combativeness. Violeta pulled a closed guard and made a good transition while looking for a chance to take the back, but Nadia avoided the danger and attacked Violeta's leg. After adjusting her hip, Nadia managed to stretch and complete the submission, seizing the title.

70kg - Magdalena Loska vs. Tamara Rocha

A quick victory for Poland's Magdalena Loska. Her opponent, Brazilian Tamara Rocha, pulled guard and went down. Magdalena saw the chance to land an attack on the foot and didn't hesitate, landing a straight footlock to take the win in the first minute of the bout.

95kg - Katiuscia Yasmira Dias vs. Amanda Ribeiro

Yasmira Dias, from Guinea-Bissau, showcased her favoritism in the 95kg division. After a double punishment for lack of combativeness, Yasmira pulled and swept the Brazilian Amanda Ribeiro to take the lead 3-1. After passing guard and disconnecting, Yasmira swept again. Amanda managed to go up by the end, putting the scoreboard at 8-3, but Yasmira went up yet again, leaving the final score at 10-3 to add another victory to her grappling record.