ABU DHABI: In a night that featured 14 high-level jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts bouts, American Urijah Faber and Brazilian 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 proved his durability by defeating Brazilian Bibiano Fernandes nearly 20 years after their first MMA meeting.
Using his wrestling background to foil Fernandes’ attacks, Faber worked best from the top, while pressuring his opponent’s guard. The Brazilian had some good moments, landing a few takedowns and sweeps, but Faber’s skills prevailed.
In the end, the American fighter conquered the ADXC cage with a unanimous decision. After the fight, Faber emphasized his respect for his rival and praised the Abu Dhabi event.
“I love Fernandes. This guy has changed the lives of a lot of athletes throughout his career, and he's also very tough to finish,” Faber said. “It felt good to be back in the cage. If you're looking for something life-changing, look into martial arts. Abu Dhabi is doing the right thing by investing in something like jiu-jitsu.”
In the showdown, Gracie left no chance to debutant Marcos Carrozzino and earned his second consecutive ADXC victory, once again by submission.
Gracie started the fight defending himself well from his opponent's attacks. After a takedown attempt by Carrozzino, Gracie executed an unorthodox choke, forcing his opponent to tap out. Afterwards, Gracie paid tribute to his uncle, the famous mixed martial artist Renzo Gracie, who was in his corner for the fight.
“I know everything is going well when my uncle is by my side,” Gracie said. “My first loop choke was blocked, but Carrozzino escaped very well. The guillotine he put on me was very tight, but I knew he was going to put everything in it, so I was able to defend myself and recover. Five minutes before the fight, my uncle told me to use the corner choke about 40 seconds before the end of the round.”
In the second main grappling match, American Chad Mendes defeated Brazilian Diego Brandão by unanimous decision. Mendes led the fight, controlling his opponent's head in stand-up combat, applying good takedowns and defending superbly.
The other gi main event was a very technical and even battle with Pedro Ramalho of Portugal narrowly defeating Max Lindblad of Sweden by split decision to take the title. With similar fighting styles, the competitors exchanged holds and strikes while defending dangerous positions. Ramalho stood out with good sweeps and was especially dangerous with his feet. Lindblad's standout moment was a foot lock attempt that put him on top. In the end, however, Ramalho's perseverance paid off.
In addition to the four main fights, 10 other bouts spiced up ADXC 5. In the opening bout, Balqees Al-Hashmi of the United Arab Emirates dominated her encounter against Maria Odintsova of Russia. Using her guard to its fullest extent, Al Hashmi maintained control throughout, landing some promising strikes and using her positional control to keep her opponent under pressure throughout. Al-Hashmi won by unanimous decision.
Another Emirati fighter scored a win on home soil. Omar Al-Suwaidi defeated Samuel Marquez by unanimous decision in a bout that Al-Suwaidi dominated by keeping the pace high.
Another stellar display of strength and technique from Iranian fighter Pouya Rahmani in the ADXC cage saw him execute a single leg takedown on Hamdy Abdelwahab and take his back, extending his arms toward the crowd before sliding them under Abdelwahab's neck and securing the win with a choke.
Tunisian fighter Amin Boudhina was defeated by Brazilian Davi Vetoraci. Vetoraci attacked from the start with a dangerous flying triangle, then transitioned into an armbar attempt, which Boudhina defended. Vetoraci then feinted a shoulder block. When the Tunisian turned to escape, Vetoraci blocked his winning armbar.
Nineteen-year-old Seilkhan Bolatbek of Kazakhstan scores a quick win over Emad Ahmedin of the Netherlands and Chinese fighter Xiaosong Shi is defeated by US fighter Abe “The Killer” Alsaghir in an intense bout 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 kept up the pressure to emerge victorious via unanimous decision.
