The time has finally come!
This Friday, January 19th, the second edition of the Abu Dhabi Extreme Championship landed in the UAE, bringing the fearsome ADXC cage and its battle-hungry competitors to the modern Mubadala Arena in the heart of the country.
After its successful debut back in November, the tournament returned with its dazzling show of lights and some memorable battles between key players from the Jiu-Jitsu, grappling, and MMA scene.
After 14 incredible battles, the ADXC 2 confirms that the success of its debut was not a one-time deal.
Starting with the Grappling Main Event, Aljamain Sterling and Chase Hooper were completely on fire during the match. From start to finish, both fighters went all out as they sought takedowns and submissions, with Aljamain using his experience and conditioning to counter the hungry Hooper, who was always ready to use a spin to land his opponent in a sticky situation.
With the competitors refusing to slow down throughout all five rounds, the match could’ve gone either way, but Sterling’s performance caught the eyes of the judges and the former UFC champion left the ADXC cage with yet another high-profile victory in his stacked record.
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Before that, in the Jiu-Jitsu Main Event, the calm and collected Bruno Lima not only withstood the pressure from the explosive Manuel Ribamar but also found all the right opportunities to counter his attacks and emerge victorious.
With his judo background shining on the battlefield, Lima pulled off amazing takedowns and got close to submitting more than once, but Ribamar didn’t slow down and kept attempting pulls, sweeps, and all the other tricks up his sleeve to try and get the drop on his opponent.
Another factor that played a major part in Bruno’s victory was his deft use of the cage to both attack and defend, effectively wielding his surroundings as another weapon against Ribamar in order to come out on top of the duel.
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In the Grappling Co-Main Event, Ffion Davies once again showed why she’s considered one of the best grapplers in the world, going all-out from the start against Luane Pinheiro, attempting a guillotine and then locking her opponent’s back in the cage with extreme pressure.
Luana’s suffering, however, was short-lived, as Ffion quickly slipped to the back and locked the rear naked choke with less than a minute in the very first round, taking the win in the fastest match of the tournament.
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On the other hand, the Jiu-Jitsu Co-Main Event was a technical battle between guard players, with Espen Mathiesen and Pablo Lavaselli putting their skills to the test against one another.
In the end, Espen rose as the victor but not before five rounds of a very well-balanced match, with both fighters showing equal prowess fighting on top and bottom.
In the final moments of the last round, Pablo managed to pass the guard, but by then Espen had already shown enough skills to ever so slightly tip the scales in his favor, taking the win via split decision in the ADXC cage.
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The Main and Preliminary cards also held some of the greatest matches in the ADXC 2 so, without further ado, let’s check out how each of the fights played out!
Rinat Fakhredinov vs. Douglas Lima
Armed with his top-tiered wrestling, the Russian Rinat Fakhredinov gave the Brazilian Douglas Lima almost no room to attack, using single and double-leg takedowns to throw his opponent around, always making a point to apply pressure as he attempted to penetrate Douglas’ defenses.
The Brazilian even tried a couple of attacks, most notably two triangles in the second round, but Rinat quickly brushed off the submission attempts and carried on dominating the match.
With a guillotine almost locked in the final seconds of the third round, Rinat emerged as the winner via the referees’ unanimous decision.
Talison Costa vs. Ali Monfaradi
In a rematch of the ADWPJJC 2023 Master 1 division, the rivals Talison Costa and Ali Monfaradi went toe-to-toe in the ADXC cage, trading attacks and counter-attacks over the course of all three rounds.
Hungry for some well-deserved payback after the setback in November, Talison Costa made his way into the cage ready to show all of his tricks, using takedowns and sweeps to destabilize his opponent as he tried to lock a submission.
Ali pushed back with techniques of his own and some pressure on the cage wall, but Talison’s attacks won over the majority of the referees, who gave him the victory via split decision.
Sidney Outlaw vs. Terrance McKinney
In a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, Sidney Outlaw got the upper hand over Terrance McKinney and landed a submission to rise as the victor in Abu Dhabi.
The match started with McKinney on the attack, spinning on the ground, grabbing Sidney, and then pressing the Bellator athlete against the wall of the cage as he attempted to climb his back.
However, Outlaw held on just long enough for a gap in McKinney’s defense to show up, allowing him to throw the UFC fighter to the ground, taking the back and closing the bout with a vicious crossface in the first round.
Gabriel Sousa vs. Yuta Shimada
In another balanced grappling duel in the ADXC cage, Gabriel Sousa and Yuta Shimada gave each other no easy time as they clashed in the three regulated rounds of the tournament.
While Gabriel used his technical prowess to keep Yuta on his toes, the latter made great use of his judo background and environmental awareness, frequently using the cage walls as a tool for both offense and defense.
With his heftier arsenal and more dangerous attacks, Gabriel did more than enough to sway the referees, who unanimously gave him the win.
Pouya Rahmani vs. Denzel Freeman
In a battle of giants in the ADXC cage, Denzel Freeman and Pouya Rahmani gave fight fans a fun duel, filled with powerful wrestling throws and displays of physical strength.
Rahmani completely dominated the match both standing and on the ground, going as far as taking the back of his opponent twice and quickly brushing off any attacks made by Freeman, safely taking the win via the referees’ unanimous decision.
Shay Montague vs. Omar Al Suwaidi
An intense exchange between Montague and Al Suwaidi in the last Preliminary Card fight.
Starting the match aiming to take down, Omar set the tone throughout the entire first round, but Montague did a full 180 in the second round, using his berimbolo spins and attacking on the neck while avoiding Omar’s advances.
After a very balanced third round, Shay Montague became the winner via split decision.
Matus Arpas vs. Ahmed Amir
Matus and Ahmed led a high-octane match in the ADXC cage.
With a lot of attacks going around, Matus exerted pressure on Ahmed’s defense during the first round, with Ahmed showing a better performance in the following round but still being unable to fully contain his opponent’s advances and almost falling victim to a dangerous guillotine.
The third and final round did not dial down on the action, with both sides dishing out attacks and defenses in almost equal measure. With a more dynamic and effective performance, Matus Arpas was unanimously chosen as the victor by the referees.
Emily Ferreira vs. Yara Kakish
The American Emily Ferreira carved her name as one of the ADXC winners after overcoming Jordan’s Yara Kakish in the tournament’s third fight.
Working well on top and bottom, Ferreira’s guard gave her all the tools she needed to land the right attack on the final round. After attacking with a triangle, Emily did not slow down and went for an armbar, fully stretching Kakish’s arm to win.
Mohammed Al Suwaidi vs. SeongHyeon Joo
The first grappling fight in the card did not disappoint. Mohammed and SeongHyeon showed a lot of skills with their takedowns and control on top.
Al Suwaidi maintained control throughout the match, taking his South Korean opponent to the ground in all three rounds, in addition to his more effective attacks. The result came about via the referees, who unanimously chose Mohammed Al Suwaidi as the winner.
Yaroslav Rymasjevkii vs. Alinur Kuatuly
Opening the ADXC 2 card, promising up-and-comers Yaroslav and Alinur showed their skills as they each played to their strengths in hopes of seizing the victory.
Playing below, Yaroslav opened his toolbox and constantly attempted submissions while Alinur used his technical know-how to control the attacks and reach side control.
With triangle attempts and a lot of movements with foot locks and x guardm Yaroslav won over all the referees and became the very first winner of the tournament.
