The Abu Dhabi Extreme Championship (ADXC) arrives with an impressive card for its debut edition, on October 20th at the Mubadala Arena!
The most prominent grappling athletes in the world will step into the cage set up in the center of the gym, with the main fight of the evening featuring two MMA stars who have Jiu-Jitsu as a strong foundation in their careers.
In the last no-gi bout of the event, black belts Neiman Gracie and Ben Henderson will face each other.
NEIMAN GRACIE vs. BEN HENDERSON (NO-GI MAIN EVENT)
The duel was chosen by the organization to symbolize the strength of grappling and how Jiu-Jitsu transcends traditional competitive environments, leading the gentle art to dominate outside the mats as well.
Neiman and Ben will have the chance to show their technical and submission-focused style in a no-gi superfight, with a ruleset similar to the one used in MMA tournaments, where the points are counted individually in each of the five rounds of three minutes.
The battle will be in the welterweight division and closes the event, which will also feature a co-main event and ten more super fights.
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Neiman Gracie
Neiman Gracie carries with him the responsibility of representing the most famous family in international Jiu-Jitsu every time he fights.
A Jiu-Jitsu black belt, son of master Marcio Stambowsky, Neiman is one of Renzo Gracie’s most dedicated pupils, having gotten a taste for fighting while living on the famous blue mats of his master’s academy, in New York.
An MMA athlete, Neiman is a Bellator fighter and has an impressive record of nine victories by submission, out of the 12 in his resumé, holding the record for most submissions in his weight division.
In Jiu-Jitsu, he has appeared on the podium of the most prestigious events with and without the gi.
Neiman arrives at ADXC to show not only the strength of the Gracie family in the Abu Dhabi cage but also to prove once again the efficiency of the Jiu-Jitsu that has been his legacy from birth.
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Ben Henderson
Ben Henderson is a former UFC and WEC champion, with stints at Bellator and numerous main events throughout his successful MMA career.
A wrestling specialist, he has been a Jiu-Jitsu black belt since 2013 and used a lot of his knowledge of the mats in MMA, taking eight of his 30 victories in the cage through submissions, all via the neck with his tight guillotines and rear-naked choke adjustments.
After venturing into grappling duels, with and without the gi, Ben Henderson joins the impressive ADXC card to make his debut within the organization, using his Jiu-Jitsu and cage experience in Abu Dhabi.
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ISAQUE BAHIENSE VS. GUSTAVO BATISTA (GI MAIN EVENT EVENT)
To further heat up the debut night of the ADXCm the organization included an old rivalry in its gi main event…
In a fight in the middleweight division, Isaque Bahiense and Gustavo Batista are once again facing each other, but this time the AJP was able to turn up the rivalry between the champions even more.
The gi duel will take place in the ADCX cage, over five three-minute rounds.
Even though the submission can define the winner at any moment of the fight, the score per round, defined by the side judges, will bring even more desire to show their abilities the best they can.
Furthermore, the absence of safety areas or room for escape makes the cage work another factor to be considered in the classic duel between Isaque and Gustavo.
Isaque Bahiense, leader and athlete representing DreamArt, arrives to compete against Gustavo with two Abu Dhabi World Pro Jiu-Jitsu Championship titles in his career.
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Gustavo Batista, an elite athlete from Atos Jiu-Jitsu, a team captained by André Galvão, has the notorious AJP King of Mats title on his resumé.
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Dueling on the AJP mats, Isaque came out winning twice, in the final of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Rio in 2017, and at the Abu Dhabi World Pro in 2018.
Gustavo, in turn, won the AJP King of Mats title in 2019 by overcoming Isaque in the final match of the event.
ADXC1 CO-MAIN EVENTS: MUHAMMAD VS. SULEIMAN & ABREU VS. MINENKO
This debut ADXC spectacle will also have two co-main events: Belal Muhammad vs. Tarek Suleiman and Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu vs. Anton Minenko!
The Muhammad vs Suleiman no-gi middleweight bout will be an instant classic…
As Belal Muhammad is a top-ranking UFC welterweight contender, but this will be his professional submission grappling debut; against Tarek Suleiman, an MMA fighter and BJJ black belt for whom this will also be a first (no-gi) submission grappling competition!
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The other co-main no-gi bout will feature a heavyweight clash between Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu and Anton Minenko!
Cyborg is a household name for Jiu-Jitsu fans around the world, with heaps of titles to his name – including 6 IBJJF No-Gi World Championship titles and an ADCC absolute division title from 2013!
Minenko, on the other hand, is a BJJ black belt who was awarded Best Oceania Player of the year at the 14th Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship. He is also an ex Queensland Premier Grade Rugby Union player and Finals winner!
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In total, ADXC will have 13 grappling duels. The cage plays a key role in the progress of the fights, as the grid surrounding the battlefield leaves no room to escape.
Stay tuned on ADXC social media, at @adxcofficial on Instagram, and stay up to date with the next announcements of the card scheduled for October 20th, in Abu Dhabi.
