ABU DHABI: American Uriah Faber and Brazil's Rayran Gracie were crowned champions of the fifth Abu Dhabi Extreme Sports Championship (ADXC) on Friday at the Mubadala Arena. Faber won the no-gi trophy and Gracie went home with the gi.
Faber showed his stamina by beating Brazil's Bibian Fernandez nearly 20 years after they first met in MMA.
Using his grappling experience to disrupt Fernandez's attacks, Faber worked better from the top, putting pressure on the opposing guard. The Brazilian had some good moments, managing to score some takedowns and swings, but Faber's skills won out.
In the end, the American fighter won the ADXC cage by unanimous decision. After the fight, Faber emphasized his respect for his opponent and praised the event in Abu Dhabi.
“I love Fernandez. This guy has changed the lives of a lot of athletes in his career and he's also very hard to finish,” Faber said. “I felt good fighting in the cage again. If you're looking for something to change your life, look no further than martial arts. Abu Dhabi is doing the right thing by investing in something like jiu-jitsu.”
In his matchup, Gracie didn't give debutant Marcos Carocino a chance and earned his second straight win at ADXC, again by submission.
Gracie started the fight by defending well against his opponent's attacks. After Carocino's takedown attempt, Gracie delivered a non-standard choke, forcing his opponent to tap out. Afterward, Gracie paid tribute to his uncle, renowned mixed martial artist Renzo Gracie, who was in his corner during the fight.
“I know things are going well when my uncle is by my side,” Gracie said. “My first choke was locked, but Karotsina escaped very well. The guillotine he applied to me was very tight, but I knew he would give it his all, so I managed to defend myself and recover. Five minutes into the fight, my uncle told me to use the corner choke with about 40 seconds left in the round.”
In the second main grappling fight, the American Chad Mendes defeated the Brazilian Diego Brando by unanimous decision of the judges. Mendes dominated throughout the fight, controlling his opponent's head while standing, using good takedowns and defending superbly.
The gi's second main event was a very technical, balanced battle in which Portugal's Pedro Ramalho defeated Sweden's Max Lindblad by split decision to win the title. In similar fighting styles, competitors exchanged grabs and attacks, defending dangerous positions. Romaglio had good swings and was particularly dangerous with his feet. Lindblad's standout moment was a leg lock attempt that put him on top. In the end, however, Romaglio's consistency was rewarded.
In addition to the four main ADXC 5 matches, 10 more matches took place. In the opening bout, Balkis Al-Hashmi of the UAE dominated her bout against Maria Odintsova of Russia. Making full use of her guard, Al Hashmi remained in control throughout, using several promising attacks and using her positional control to keep her opponent under pressure at all times. Al-Hashmi won by unanimous decision.
Another Emirati fighter also claimed victory on home turf. Omar Al Suwaidi defeated Samuel Marquez by unanimous decision in a fight in which Al Suwaidi dominated, keeping the pace high.
Another stellar display of strength and technique from Iranian fighter Puy Rahmani in the ADXC cage saw him take down Hamdi Abdelwahab with one leg and take his back with his arms out to the crowd, then put them under Abdelwahab's neck and seal the victory with a choke hold. keep
Tunisian fighter Amin Boudhina was defeated by Davi Vetarachi from Brazil. From the beginning, the fans attacked with a dangerous flying triangle, then switched to an armbar, which Bujina defended. Vetoraci later faked a shoulder lock. As the Tunisian fighter turned to run, Vetarachi pinned his winning arm.
Nineteen-year-old Seilkhan Bolatbek of Kazakhstan scored a quick victory over Emad Ahmedzin of the Netherlands, while Chinese fighter Xiaosong Shi was defeated by American fighter Abe “The Killer” Alsaghir in a tight match in which Alsaghir used the cage to his advantage. Shea had some good moments, including a particularly well-executed guillotine attempt in the second round, but Alsaghir kept up the pressure to emerge victorious by unanimous decision.
