ADWPJJC 2024: Master black belts become champions in Abu Dhabi

November 13, 2024

Bringing another day of action to the Mubadala Arena, in the UAE, the sixteenth edition of the ADWPJJC has completed another stage of its yearly tournament. After the qualifier rounds took place last Tuesday, November 12th, the athletes from the Master category entered an even more challenging battleground, joining the main bracket and fighting to become champions in Abu Dhabi this Wednesday, November 13th.

Armed with technical prowess, experience, and grit, the Master 1 black belts were quick to steal the spotlight of the competition with their memorable performances as they advanced through the brackets and conquered the coveted ADWPJJC gold. Check out how each of the finals played out, and click here for the full results.

MEN

56KG - João Miyao vs Gevorg Arutyunyan

After submitting two opponents in the qualifier bracket on Tuesday, the Brazilian João Miyao returned to the mats on Wednesday and dominated the 56kg division. Starting in the quarter-finals, João first submitted Haitham Hanawi and then landed a second submission over his compatriot Emerson Cassio to advance to the final. In the gold round, João went up against the Armenian Gevorg Arutunyan, who managed to avoid getting submitted but still couldn't stop João's advances. When the clock ran out, a 10-1 score gave João another ADWPJJC title.

62KG - Giorgi Razmadze vs Nicolas Ponce

Representing Gojira Jiu-Jitsu, the Georgian Giorgi Razmadze conquered the 62kg bracket. After outscoring Yu Lin by 5-2 in the quarters, Giorgi advanced to the semis and submitted Guillaume Prada less than a minute into the match. Facing the Chilean Nicolas Ponce in his final round, Giorgi maintained his aggressiveness and went all-out in his attacks, quickly overwhelming his opponent and locking the winning submission around the one-minute mark to take the gold medal.

69kg - Luan Alves vs Thiago Macedo

The 69kg division title went to Luan Alves, a Brazilian black belt representing Commando Group who overcame four opponents on his way to the podium. After beating Jamil Semhat by 1-0 and then submitting Orlando Yeh, Luan went on to outscore Dzihmsher Razmadze by 2-0 in the semifinal. The gold round saw Luan going up against the veteran Thiago Macedo in an incredibly balanced match with no submissions or points for either side. After the regulated time and the golden score were up, the referees analyzed the duel and decided that Luan was more effective throughout the bout, giving him the win and the title.

77kg - Thiago Marques vs Max Lindblad

Four matches and four quick submissions for the Brazilian Thiago Marques in the ADWPJJC 2024. Fighting in the 77kg division, Thiago managed to get the three taps from Aaron Devlin, Achraf Elhazime, and Francisco Souza on his way to the final, with all of those opponents submitted in less than a minute. In the last match, Thiago faced the Swede Max Lindblad and once again went full-throttle at his opponent, quickly finding his opportunity and landing a submission around the one-minute mark to bring another title to Commando Group.

85kg - William Dias vs Lucas Moutinho

Hailing from Australia, William Dias fought four opponents before reaching the top of the podium. After submitting Andrey Gavrilyuk and beating Nikolay Salmin with a whopping 12-3 score, William made his way to the semis and got a 4-2 win over Luca Anacoreta. In the gold round, William went up against Lucas Moutinho in a very balanced match. With no submissions or even points landed throughout the regulated time and golden score, it was up to the referees to choose the outcome of the bracket, and they decided that William was more effective in the duel, giving him the win and the title.

94kg - Roberto Dib Frias vs Renato Cardoso

A One Purpose BJJ athlete fighting out of Australia, Roberto Dib Frias conquered the 94kg division. Starting in the quarter-finals, Roberto ended his first match with a 6-2 over Abdulbari Guseinov, followed by a 6-0 score against Stanislav Varshavskiy in the semis. For his last match, Roberto had a tough battle against Brazil's Renato Cardoso, who reached the gold round after submitting Fellipe Andrew in the semifinal. With both sides being constantly on their toes throughout the regulated time, the match ended in a 3-3 tie, with Roberto emerging victorious by scoring last.

120kg - Felipe Bezerra vs Basel Fanous

A very familiar face around the AJP podiums, the Brazilian Felipe Bezerra once again reigned over the heaviest division. Entering the 120kg bracket in the quarter-finals, Felipe first scored 7-1 over Khasan Betelgeriev and then outscored Rodrigo Ribeiro to save his spot in the final, which saw him going up against Jordan's Basel Fanous. With overwhelming strength and technique, Felipe seized control of the match early on, scoring 5-0 and then submitting around the two-minute mark of the duel to conquer another high-profile title for his career.

WOMEN

49kg - Kacie Tan vs Anastasiia Leonovich

Representing Thailand in the ADWPJJC 2024, Kacie Tan made an amazing campaign in the 49kg division. After submitting Tatiana Silva and then outscoring Geuna Kim by 7-2, Kacie entered the final to face Anastasiia Leonovich, a Russian competitor who submitted Kaisa Paunu and beat Oxana Moskalenko by a whopping 14-0. While both athletes showed just how talented they were as they advanced through the bracket, the final round was almost a one-sided show by Kacie, who went on the offensive and managed to score a 10-0 to take her spot atop the podium.

55kg - Lina Grosset vs Vanderlucia Lima

A School of Champs representative with many titles conquered in the AJP, France's Lina Grosset did it again in the ADWPJJC 2024. Fighting in the 55kg bracket, Lina started her campaign by going up against the Colombian Ana Arboleda in a very balanced match that ended in a narrow 3-2 for the former. In the final, Lina faced the Brazilian Vanderlucia Lima, a MOD UAE athlete who entered the last match after outscoring Jennifer Traslavina. There were no submissions in the gold round, but Lina was in control almost the whole time, landing a 7-0 against her opponent and becoming the division champion.

62kg - Laura Virtanen vs Violeta Angelova

Fighting out of Finland, Laura Virtanen took the 62kg division gold. Starting in the quarters, Laura first beat Angelika Lyko with a 2-0 score and then beat Olga Rodriguez by 10-0. In the final round, Laura went against Violeta Angelova in a balanced match that ended in a 2-0 score.

70kg - Denise Krahn vs Camila Loyola

Representing Hiltli BJJ Berlin, the German Denise Krahn went through the 70kg division like a freight train. After submitting Fatima Eltassi in the quarters, Denise got another submission win over Marwa Alhosani in the semifinal. In the gold round, facing Brazil's Camila Loyola, Denise kept the pedal to the metal and quickly overwhelmed her opponent, scoring 7-0 before getting the three taps with less than a minute on the clock.

95kg - Yasmira Dias vs Carina Santi

Entering a round-robin for the title, the Bissau-Guinean Yasmira Dias added another important title to her career. Facing Marcelle Catanhede in her first match, Yasmira went through a challenging battle and conquered her first win by scoring last in a 3-3 tie. In the second round of the bracket, Marcelle ended up getting submitted by the Brazilian Carina Santi, who would face Yasmira in the third and final round. The last match had no submissions, but Yasmira was in control throughout the five minutes of regulated time, scoring 7-1 over her opponent and becoming the 95kg division champion.

With the Youths, Amateurs, and Masters having completed their run in this year's ADWPJJC, the tournament now gets ready to welcome the powerhouses of the Professional category. Starting this Thursday, November 14th, and going all the way to Saturday, November 16th, the athletes at the top of the competitive food chain will go toe-to-toe against one another to become champions in Abu Dhabi. Watch the action live on TX7.com, and follow @ajptour to stay up-to-date on all the highlights of the competition.