ABU DHABI: In a night of 14 high-level jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts bouts, American Urijah Faber and Brazil's Rayron Gracie emerged as champions of the fifth Abu Dhabi Extreme 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 when he defeated Bibiano Fernandes of Brazil almost 20 years after their first meeting in MMA.
Utilizing his wrestling background to thwart Fernandes' attacks, Faber worked better from the top as he put pressure on his opponent's guard. The Brazilian had some good moments as he managed to land some takedowns and sweeps, but Faber's skills won out.
In the end, the American fighter captured the ADXC cage via unanimous decision. After the duel, Faber emphasized his respect for his rival and praised the Abu Dhabi event.
“I love Fernandes. This guy has changed the lives of many athletes throughout his career, and he is also very difficult to finish,” said Faber. “I felt good fighting in the cage again. If you are looking for something that can change your life, look for martial arts. Abu Dhabi is doing the right thing by investing in something like jiu-jitsu.”
In their showdown, Gracie gave debutant Marcos Carrozzino no chance and picked up his second straight win at ADXC, again by submission.
Gracie started the fight by defending well against her opponent's attacks. After a takedown attempt by Carrozzino, Gracie locked in an unorthodox choke, forcing his rival to tap out. Afterwards, Gracie paid tribute to his uncle, the famous mixed martial artist Renzo Gracie, who was in his corner for the bout.
“I know everything is going to be okay when my uncle is by my side,” Gracie said. “My first loop choke was locked, but Carrozzino did very well. The guillotine he applied to me was very tight, but I knew he was going to put everything on it, so I managed to defend and recover. Five minutes before the match, my uncle told me to use the corner choke about 40 seconds before the end of the round.”
In the other main event, American Chad Mendes defeated Brazilian Diego Brandão by unanimous decision. Mendes controlled the entire fight, controlling his opponent's head in the stand-up fight, using good takedowns and defending excellently.
The other major gi event was a very technical, balanced battle where Pedro Ramalho of Portugal narrowly defeated Max Lindblad of Sweden by split decision to take the title. With similar fighting styles, the competitors traded holds and attacks while defending dangerous positions. Ramalho stood out with good sweeps and was particularly dangerous with his feet. Lindblad's standout moment was a footlock attempt that put him on top. In the end, however, Ramalho's consistency was rewarded.
Apart from the four main fights, 10 other matches spiced up ADXC 5. In the opening match, UAE's Balqees Al-Hashmi dominated her fight against Maria Odintsova of Russia. Taking full advantage of his guard, Al Hashmi remained in control throughout, applying some promising attacks and using his positional control to keep his opponent under pressure throughout. Al-Hashmi won by unanimous decision.
Another Emirati fighter also won on home soil. Omar Al-Suwaidi beat Samuel Marquez by unanimous decision in a fight that Al-Suwaidi dominated by keeping a fast pace.
Another stunning display of strength and technique by Iranian fighter Pouya Rahmani in the ADXC cage saw him perform a single leg takedown on Hamdy Abdelwahab and take his back, extending his arms to the crowd before bringing them under Abdelwahab's throat and securing the victory with a choke hold .
Tunisian fighter Amin Boudhina was defeated by Davi Vetoraci from Brazil. Vetoraci initially attacked with a dangerous flying triangle and then transitioned into an armbar attempt, which Boudhina defended. Later, Vetoraci faked a shoulder lock. As the Tunisian fighter spun to escape, Vetoraci locked in his winning armbar.
Nineteen-year-old Seilkhan Bolatbek of Kazakhstan scores a quick victory against Emad Ahmedin of the Netherlands and Chinese fighter Xiaosong Shi was defeated by American fighter Abe “The Killer” Alsaghir in an intense match where Alsaghir used the cage to his advantage. Shi had some good moments, including a particularly well-executed guillotine attempt in the second round, but Alsaghir maintained the pressure to emerge victorious by unanimous decision.
