ADGS Rio: Professionals end the tournament on a high note with stellar performances

July 21, 2024

Celebrating 10 years of high-level competition with the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam World Tour, the ADGS Rio reached its peak this Sunday, July 21st, as the Professional category reached the mats and closed the tournament with memorable performances as they sought the gold and glory of becoming an AJP champion.

While the purple and brown belt classes had more than enough thrills for the fight fans, the black belt category completely stole the show, with the elite of Jiu-Jitsu entering the fight areas in the Arena Carioca 1 and fighting tooth and nail to lead each of the weight divisions. Among the tournament's highlights, Al Wahda Club's Omar Al Suwaidi became the first Emirati to take the gold at the ADGS Rio, Sarah Galvão debuted her brown belt beating Julia Alves and Vitória Vieira back to back, and Commando Group representative Jefferson Goteu became the champion after beating the division favorite Natan Chueng. Check out below how each of the black belt finals played out, and click here for the full results!

MEN'S GI / BLACK / PROFESSIONAL

56kg - Omar Al Suwaidi vs Pedro Romanelli

Representing the UAE on Brazilian soil, Omar Al Suwaidi showcased his prowess and got the 56kg division title. Facing the local Pedro Romanelli in the final, Omar quickly pulled and swept to open the scoreboard with a 2-0. After an exchange of sweeps, Pedro went up with a grip on the pants, almost managed a takedown, and then completed the sweep to tie the score at 4-4, but Omar managed to slide to the back without the hooks and made a dangerous attack on the neck, closing the match in with a solid 6-4 to become an ADGS champion.

62kg - Jhonathan Angelim vs Davi Carlos

Coming from three victories in the bracket, Jhonathan Angelim showed a very tactical Jiu-Jitsu in the 62kg final. Up against Davi Carlos, Jhonathan entered an intense exchange of sweeps and got the lead by 4-2. Nearing the end of the bout, Davi unleashed a blitz on the legs, but Jhonathan managed to avoid any dangerous moves and, after his opponent received a penalty, won the match by 5-3.

69kg - Raimundo Diego Sodré vs Israel Almeida

A very intense battle in the 69kg final.  Diego Sodré used a lapel grip to sweep Israel Almeida and open the scoreboard with 2-0, leading to a sweep exchange from the 50/50 guard and putting the scoreboard at 4-4. Diego went up twice to increase his advantage to 6-4, but Israel managed to sweep and tie the score again, this time at 6-6. The tiebreaker came from a foot attack from Diego, who didn't manage to lock the submission but still brought enough danger to take the win by 7-6.

77kg - Jefferson Goteu vs Natan Chueng

Coming from submission victories in the semi and quarter-finals, Commando Group's Jefferson Goteu kept his momentum and defeated Natan Chueng to take the 77kg gold. The deciding factor played out early on, with Jefferson going up from the double pull and putting the score at 1-0. With Natan hungry to turn the tables and seize the lead on the scoreboard, Jefferson chose to play strategically, using his lasso guard to keep his opponent on his toes while avoiding any moves that might jeopardize his victory. When the clock ran out, that same 1-0 remained on the scoreboard and Jefferson took the division title.

85kg - Alex Munis Santos vs Rafael Borges

After overcoming the stacked 85kg bracket on his way to the final, Alex Munis sealed the deal to take his rightful place atop the podium. Facing Rafael Borges, the Fratres black belt put the pedal to the metal and went straight for the foot, locking a powerfull Estima lock and becoming an ADGS champion in Brazil.

94kg - Vinicius Liberati vs Luiz Henrique Betta

Having overwhelmed all of his opponents in the 94kg division, Vinicius Liberati had his work cut out for him facing Luiz Henrique Betta in the gold round. From beginning to end, the match was very balanced and both sides struggled to get a sizable advantage over one another. In the final moments of the match, however, Vinicius managed to land a valuable point and conquer the title via a 2-1 score.

120kg - Victor Honório vs Herico Hesley

In the heaviest division, Victor Honório overcame a tough battle and defeated Herico Hesley to become the champion. With the athletes evenly matched, the fight was locked in a stalemate during the regulated time and the golden score. With the score tied at 3-3 on account of two penalties for each side, the match results came through the referees, who decided that Honório had a more effective performance and thus deserved the title.

WOMEN'S GI / BROWN / BLACK / PROFESSIONAL

49kg - Diana Teixeira vs Giulia Gregorut

After taking the ADGS gold in Abu Dhabi and Istanbul earlier this year, Diana Teixeira has now added the ADGS Rio title to her collection. In the 49kg division final, Giulia Gregorut started by pulling guard, but Diana managed to break her grip and opened the scoreboard with a 1-0 as she hit the side. Giulia managed to stop her from passing and even tried to go up in the final moments of the bout, but Diana held her ground and got the win via points.

55kg - Grasielle Brandão vs Lina Grosset

Playing very well from the top, Grasielle Brandão beat Lina Grosset in the 55kg final. Lina started by pulling, but Grasielle passed with pressure to reach the side, put the knee on her opponent's stomach, and went straight for the mount, putting the scoreboard at 8-0. After Lina got her guard back and Grasielle gained another point for almost passing, the former went up attacking from the back to put the score at 9-3. Lina even managed another point, but Grasielle went up and passed again to end the match at 12-4.

62kg - Sarah Galvão vs Vitória Vieira

Making her debut as a brown belt among the elite of Jiu-Jitsu, Sarah Galvão proved herself a talented competitor as she conquered the ADGS Rio's 62kg bracket. After beating Julia Alves in the semifinal, Sarah went on to face Vitória Vieira in the gold round, starting the bout by pulling guard and then going up to score 1-0. The experienced Vitória tried to escape Sarah's closed guard, but the rookie managed to maintain her advantage and even attacked with an omoplata in the final moments of the match. With a 1-0 score, Sarah Galvão rose as the champion in the Arena Carioca.

70kg - Sabatha Lais vs Giovanna Carneiro

In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, Sabatha Lais got the better of Giovanna Carneiro in the 70kg final. As soon as the referee signaled the start of the match, Sabatha pulled and locked a lightning-fast triangle choke, getting the three taps, the gold medal, and the top of the podium in the first minute of the match.

95kg - Yara Soares vs Tamiris Silva

Representing Fratres Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Yara Soares once again tasted victory in the AJP mats. After taking two wins by submission, Yara went on to face Tamiris Silva in the 95kg final round, putting all her skill and pressure to the test over the course of the five regulated minutes of the bout. When the clock ran out, the scoreboard sat at 3-0, giving Yara the win and the gold.

With the ADGS Rio de Janeiro 2024 completed, the fights from all three days of the competition are available on the TX7.com platform. Make sure to follow @ajptour on social media to stay on top of all ADGS and AJP news.