ADGS London: Masters stars and thrilling matches in the first day of action

March 11, 2023

The Copper Box Arena in England has already become one of AJP's favorite stages in the world. In yet another edition of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam London 2023, the event kicked off this Saturday, March 11th, with thrilling matches for fans around the world.

On the first day of fights, with the professional black, brown, and purple belts in the masters division, we had exciting matches and stars of the federation in action, seeking important points in the ranking.

Among the standouts in master 1, Claudio Calasans, Adam Wardzinski, Thiago Marques, and Katiuscia Yasmira Dias were champions. All the matches were shown live on AJPTour.tv.

Check out below the highlights of the finals, and don't miss the second day of fights this Sunday, March 12th, direct from London!

Male Black Belt Master 1

56kg: Andrea Verdemare vs. Marko Oikarainen

Black belt representing Italy, Andrea Verdemare got the gold medal in his group of three. After passing by Haitham Hanawi, by 2-1, Andrea faced the Finnish Marko Oikarainen, in a duel that ended in 3-2 for the italian blackbelt.

62kg: Diego Senna vs. William Chavez

Athlete of the Six Blades team, Diego Kalil faced two fights against Wilian Chavez (Cícero Costha) in a best-of-three match. In the first duel, Diego won by 2-0, taking the lead. To secure the title, he won the second bout with a score of 2-1.

69kg: Thiago Marques vs. Thiago Macedo

The current champion of the AJP World Pro, Thiago Marques has returned to shine. His opponent in the final, the also Brazilian Thiago Macedo, predicted a day before that this duel would be the possible final of the bracket. What he didn't see, however, was the result of the fight. After a double pull, Macedo went up. Marques attacked fast with a triangle choke and swept. Macedo managed to get out of danger from below, but when he went up, he allowed Thiago Marques to adjust his attack even more, guaranteeing a victory by submission.

77kg: Talison Costa vs. Leon Schulz

The Brazilian blackbelt Talison Costa imposed his passing guard game in his final match, against the German Leon Schulz and his guard full of resources to defend. Talison bombarded Leon's guard at all times, switching bases and grips, and throwing Leon's legs to the side. Talison earned a point for a near guard pass, opening the scoreboard. In the scramble, Talison attacked with an anaconda choke and Leon, trying to defend, left the fight area. Talison Costa received two more points, moving up to 3-0 and securing the gold.

85kg: Claudio Calasans vs. Fausto Godoy

The decorated Claudio Calasans returned to the ADGS, fighting on the first day in the masters division. His opponent in the final, the Uruguayan Fausto Godoy, received two penalties and the score was positive for Claudio at 3-1 in the beginning of the match. Calasans then entered Fausto's guard and worked to pass with a double under. Close to the end, Calasans left a gap and Fausto tried the triangle in the last seconds, but Calasans maintained the pressure and took the victory by points.

94kg: Adam Wardzinski vs. Charles Negromonte

Polish Jiu-Jitsu star Adam started his final against Charles in his dangerous butterfly guard. With a spin to the opposite side, Adam surprised Charles and swept by 2-0. On top, Adam passed the guard, mounted, and accumulated a score of 11-0 to take the gold medal.

120kg: Igor Sousa vs. Reda Hamzaoui

In a closely match, Igor started pulling guard and Reda tried to pass. Unsuccessfully to get point, it was Moroccan Reda's turn to pull, and, with no points scored, the duel went to the golden score. The Brazilian Igor brought more combativeness in the referees' view and took the victory.

Female Brown/Black Belt Master 1

55kg: Laura Peretti vs Emma Pursey

Fighting out of Italy, black belt Laura Peretti faced brown belt Emma Pursey, from Wales. The title winner would be defined in a best-of-three match, but Laura managed to win the first two fights and guarantee the gold medal. In the first duel, she beat Emma 9-0. Afterward, she applied another massive score, winning by 14-0.

62kg: Cornelia Rossier vs. Maria Pacchiarotta

Cornelia showed her technical quality in the 62kg final. The athlete from Switzerland got the takedown and took the back of Maria Pia, from Italy, to then adjust and finish with a bow and arrow choke.

70kg: Violeta Angelova vs. Grace Ferla

A balanced duel between Violeta, from Bulgaria, and Grace, from Portugal. Grace pulled guard and swept with an omoplata lock. Violeta tried to go up with a leglock attack, but Grace defended well, getting on the bottom and leaving the score at 2-2. Violeta made the last attack from above and took another point, winning by 3-2.

95kg: Katiuscia Yasmira Dias vs Keila Zotovici

Yasmira Dias, an athlete from Guinea-Bissau, had a complicated fight against Keila Zotovici, from Brazil. After a busy draw in regulation time and the golden score, Yasmira was declared champion in the referees' decision.