ADXC 5: Athletes clear the final hurdle at the Cerimonial Weigh-In
August 1, 2024
After yesterday's press conference, in which the ADXC 5's main players took the stage and discussed their expectations for the tournament, the organization still had one last hurdle for the athletes to overcome: the scales.
This Thursday, August 1st, the ceremonial weigh-ins for the fifth edition of the Abu Dhabi Extreme Championship took place and confirmed each of the card's matches, with most of the competitors weighing within the confines of their respective divisions. Stars of the tournament's Main Events, Urijah Faber, Bibiano Fernandes, Rayron Gracie, and Marcos Carrozzino used this opportunity to leave their final considerations before stepping into the cage this Friday. For Faber, fighting in the ADXC is the perfect chance to show his revamped Jiu-Jitsu:
"I'll aim for a technical high-pace match", says The California Kid. "Since I retired I've been doing Jiu-Jitsu and I'm excited to showcase my Jiu-Jitsu style. After MMA I'm more into Jiu-Jitsu and I want to show that to the crowd."
Meanwhile, Bibiano restated just how thrilled he is to be able to have a rematch against Faber, an opponent that he faced in his second-ever MMA fight, a time in which his training was limited to Jiu-Jitsu and nothing else. Now a much more mature and experienced fighter, Bibiano plans to get his long-coming payback and take the win in the UAE.
"Facing Faber again is amazing", rejoiced the Brazilian. "When we fought in the past, I was just beginning in MMA and only knew Jiu-Jitsu. I never hold anything back and my mind is different today. My mind is strong and my technique is on point. I'm ready."
For Rayron Gracie, who'll be up against Marcos Carrozzino in the Jiu-Jitsu Main Event, being back at ADXC acts as a powerful fuel to race toward another high-profile victory, especially with the impressive support he'll be bringing to his corner.
"Feels amazing to be back at ADXC. Being here twice is better than fighting just one time. It's good to have a Gracie at your corner, but having Renzo counts as ten Gracies."
On the other side of the upcoming bout, Carrozzino is well aware of the dangers that come with facing Rayron inside the ADXC cage, but he'll be ready to arm himself with the techniques and confidence he gained competing in the AJP to pursue another title for his collection.
"I 100% expect to win this fight. Tomorrow we will see who's the best, but I believe in my victory. I feel great and I'll put him down tomorrow."
Another highlight from the weigh-ins was the duel between heavyweights Pouya Rahmani and Hamdy Abdelwahab. Representing Iran, the strongman Rahmani hit 116kg on the scales, but he'll be up against the even-heavier Hamdy, who landed at 119kg and will be using all the tools at his disposal to take the title back home to Egypt.
Check out below the full card and each athletes' weight ahead of tomorrow's matches as the ADXC 5 officially begins in Abu Dhabi, broadcast live and exclusively at TX7.com.
ADXC 5
Abu Dhabi, UAE
August 2nd, 2024
Main Event
Urijah Faber (66.1kg) vs Bibiano Fernandes (65.8kg) (Grappling Bout)
Rayron Gracie (93.4kg) vs Marcos Carrozzino (93.1kg) (Jiu-Jitsu Bout)
Co-Main Event
Chad Mendes (78.7kg) vs Diego Brandão (77.2kg) (Grappling Bout)
Pedro Ramalho (77kg) vs Max Lindblad (76.6kg) (Jiu-Jitsu Bout)
Main Card
Pouya Rahmani (116.2kg) vs Hamdy Abdelwahab (119.2kg) (Grappling Bout)
Davi Vetoraci (83.8kg) vs Amin Boudhina (83.8kg) (Jiu-Jitsu Bout)
Jonnatas Gracie (76.7kg) vs Burak Sarman (77kg) (Jiu-Jitsu Bout)
Felipe Bezerra (112kg) vs Vladimir Blium (112kg) (Jiu-Jitsu Bout)
Ruan Alvarenga (69.4kg) vs AJ Agazarm (77kg) (Grappling Bout)
Preliminary Card
Omar Al Suwaidi (56.5kg) vs Samuel Marquez (54.7kg) (Jiu-Jitsu Bout)
Seilkhan Bolatbek (75.5kg) vs Emad Ahmedin (74.7kg) (Grappling Bout)
Yara Kakish (65.4kg) vs Zaifeiria Panagiotarakou (64.5kg) (Jiu-Jitsu Bout)
Xiaosong Shi (75.9kg) vs Abe Alsaghir (77.1kg) (Grappling Bout)
Balqees Al Hashmi (47.1kg) vs Maria Odintsova (47.8kg) (Jiu-Jitsu Bout)