ADGS Moscow: Masters conquer the gold in the tournament's second day

August 31, 2024

The Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Moscow 2024 continues to amaze fight fans in the Russian Capital. After the Amateurs opened the tournament yesterday, the competition set the stage for the Youth and Master categories to compete this Saturday, August 31st, creating an incredible duality in which the former group sought to gain the experience they need to maintain a successful career in the sport while the latter armed itself with that same mileage to put on a memorable show for the attending crowd and those watching on the TX7.com platform.

Comprised of battle-hardened veterans, the Master 1 category was a sight to behold in the mats, pitting some of the best local and foreign athletes in the AJP against one another as they all fought for the coveted ADGS gold and the whopping 2000 global ranking points that come with it. With the dust now settled and the tournament gearing up for its final chapter, let's take a look at the highlights from the Master 1 black belt category.

 56kg - Emerson Cassio vs Gevorg Arutyunyan

The under 56kg division had its title up for grabs in a best-of-three bracket between the Brazilian Emerson Cassio (School of Champs) and the Armenian Gevorg Arutyunyan (ZR Team Association). The first round was very balanced, with Gevorg getting a headstart on the scoreboard while Emerson fought to take the lead, but the deciding moment came about around the three-minute mark, with the Brazilian landing a winning submission to head into the next match with a gold chance of earning the gold. Gevorg, however, had different plans and, after leading the following bout by 4-2, got the drop on Emerson and tied the win count with a tight choke. Heading into the third and final duel, Emerson knew it was all or nothing, so he kept his eyes on the prize and completely unleashed his Jiu-Jitsu, scoring 5-0 over the regulated time and becoming the division champion in Moscow.

 77kg - Thiago Marques vs Iurii Kuznetsov

Facing three battles on his way to the gold, the UAE-based Brazilian Thiago Marques (Commando Group) added another high-profile title to his resumé. Entering a bracket with only Russian athletes, Thiago first got a narrow 1-0 win over Vladimir Kuchmistyi (Strela Team) in the quarterfinals and then managed to submit Artem Kaygarodov (M.O.D UAE) in less than a minute to reach the gold round. Advancing on the other side of the bracket, Iurii Kuznetsov (Checkmat International) used the scoreboard to go through Ilez Khashagulgov (Brasa Felipe Costa) and Amirkhan Gitinomagomedov (M.O.D UAE) on his way to the top, reaching the final round ready to pump the brakes on the Brazilian. The duel was a show of experience and strategy as both athletes dished out attacks while making sure to not leave themselves open for any counters, but it was Thiago who came out on top, scoring a decisive point and claiming his spot atop the podium.

 85kg - Nikolay Salmin vs Idris Omarov

After a powerful campaign, the Russian Nikolay Salmin (Strela Team) has managed to keep the Under 85kg division title in his homeland. After beating his fellow countryman and teammate Konstantin Tevs by 6-2 in the quarter, Nikolay faced and defeated the Emirati Naser Albreiki (M.O.D UAE) with an 8-4 score to make his way into the final round. Across the bracket, Idris Omarov (M.O.D UAE) first beat Evgenii Kolodeznikov (Strela Team) and then outscored Ramazan Shihshabekov (Eagles BJJ) by 6-4 to face off against Nikolay for the gold. The last match brought Nikolay his best performance yet, scoring a solid amount of points while looking for a chance to land the submission. That chance, as it turns out, came in the final seconds of the match, with Nikolay getting the three taps and adding an ADGS title to his grappling record.

 94kg - Matheus Xavier vs Abdulbari Guseinov

Facing three foes before conquering the gold, the Brazilian Matheus "Ta Danado" Xavier showed his skills and technical prowess as he took on the local warriors to become the champion in Russia. Starting his campaign with a 6-0 win over Ivan Chromenkov (M.O.D UAE) in the quarters, Matheus had another tough match in the semis, in which he fought over the regulated time and overcame Alexsandr Silaev (GFTeam) by 3-1. His last opponent, however, would be Abdulbari Guseinov, a Strela Team representative who advanced to the gold round with a crushing victory over Andrew Ovsyannikov (GFTeam) in the semifinal. With the score tied at 1-1, the last match lasted all five minutes of regulated time and saw neither of the athletes being successful in their attempts to break the stalemate. At the end of it all, the referees analyzed that Matheus had been more aggressive during the bout, giving the victory and the lead to the Under 94kg division.

 120kg - Felipe Bezerra vs Paulo Brasil

Representing Commando Group, the Brazilian Felipe Bezerra got two important wins to become the Under 120kg division champion. Starting in the semifinal, Felipe completely dominated the local Stanislav Varshavskiy (M.O.D UAE) over the regulated time, taking the win and the spot in the final round with a 15-0 score. Across the bracket, Belgium's Paulo Brasil (Gracie Barra Anderlecht) went up against the Iranian Sirvan Ghasiri and, after controlling the match for over four minutes, got the submission to advance to the gold round. While the last match was more balanced than the previous ones, Felipe was still very much in control throughout the five minutes, scoring three times and keeping Paulo's advances in check until the clock ran out. With a 3-0 victory, AJP veteran Felipe Bezerra made his well-known trip to the top of the podium once again.

With two days down for the count, the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Moscow 2024 now gets ready for its final chapter on Sunday, with the Professional category putting their skills on full display as they close the competition. All fights will be broadcast live, so make sure to go to TX7.com and follow @ajptour on social media to stay up-to-date on all things ADGS.