Images: Ane Nunes/Gentle Art Media
[Press release.]
The fifth day of the 2019 Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, this Wednesday, April 24, at the Mubadala Arena, had as its main event the country qualifiers for the adult male black belt division and the adult female brown/black belt division. As the country with the largest number of black belt competitors, Brazil had all the country qualifiers at play. Here’s how each weight class played out until one competitor secured their place in the main bracket.
ADULT MALE BLACK BELT
56kg – Three-time Au Dhabi Grand Slam champion in the 2018/2019 season, Bebeto Oliveira had to fight hard to secure his spot in the main bracket. In four matches, he beat Alex Lira 2-0, then finished Oziel Carvalho and outscored Cleber Fernandes 6-2. The final match was against 2018 ADWPJJC champion José Lima. An armbar finish granted Bebeto the spot in the main belt.
62kg – João Miyao fought twice to secure his spot in the main bracket. He first beat Danilo Barbosa 9-0 to advance to the final against Pablo Dutra. A 4-2 lead was enough for Miyao to take the win.
69kg – Just like his brother, Paulo Miyao also had to fight twice to make it to the main bracket. He first beat Murilo Amaral 2-0 and then outscored Hilton Silva 14-0 in the final.
77kg – In a crowded field, Guilherme Rocha fought four times to reach the main bracket. He debuted with a 2-0 win over Flavio Vianna and moved on to outscore Michael Douglas 6-0 in the quarterfinals. The spot in the final came with a 2-0 win over Antonio Silva. The final opponent was Tiago Bravo, beat with a narrow 3-2 lead on advantages.
85kg – Matheus Godoy fought two times to reach the main bracket. A 1-0 lead on advantages over Melksedec Franco followed by a WO win over Igor Sousa took him to the final against Thiago Sá. Godoy made it through with a 3-1 lead on advantages after a 2-2 tie on points.
94kg – In two matches, Kaynan Duarte made it to the main bracket. He first beat Renato Cardoso 2-0 and then met up with Jackson Sousa to build a 6-0 lead for the win.
110kg – João Gabriel Rocha fought three times to reach the main bracket. He first finished Mauricio Lima with an armbar followed by a 2-1 lead on advantages over Rodrigo Ribeiro. In the final, Rocha beat Matheus Felipe Xavier 4-2 on points.
ADULT FEMALE BROWN/BLACK BELT
49kg – Thamires Aquino fought twice to win her spot in the main bracket. She first finished Isabela Couti. A WO win over Sayuri Toledo led to the final match against Tatiane Nunes, finished with a choke from the back.
55kg – Two matches, two wins and a spot in the main bracket. Anna Rodrigues first outscored Tamiris Vieira 5-0 and then met up with Ariadne Oliveira to win by a 4-0 lead on points.
62kg – Bia Mesquita was merciless. She finished both of her opponents on her way to the main bracket. A choke from the back on Natalia Zumba followed by another choke from the back on Deborah Santos were the weapons Bia presented on the mats of Abu Dhabi.
90kg – Two matches, two triangle chokes, two wins and a spot in the main bracket. Nathiely de Jesus finished Ewelyn Arruda and Rafaela Bertolot to secure her spot in the battle for the gold medal.
The 2019 ADWPJJC returns this Thursday, April 25, with the main brackets of the adult male black belt division and the adult female brown/black belt division, among other attractions. Click here for more info and the complete results after five days. Follow the complete coverage on Instagram at @uaejjf and @ajptour.
