In a partnership with the AJP, the Abu Dhabi Extreme Championship (ADXC) is almost here, bringing the strategy and intricacies of Jiu-Jitsu to an MMA cage with a ruleset that favors aggressive play. The debut event, which is scheduled to take place on October 20th at the Mubadala Arena, in Abu Dhabi, will feature two main events and two co-main events, all pitting renowned Jiu-Jitsu and MMA athletes against each other in five rounds of three minutes.
In the No-Gi main event, two prominent grapplers of the mixed martial arts scene will clash against one another. On one side, the Bellator fighter Neiman Gracie bears the responsibility of honoring not only the most emblematic surname in Jiu-Jitsu’s history but also the training received by his uncle and legend Renzo Gracie. On the other side, the former UFC and WEC champion Ben Henderson is ready to use his wrestling and all the other tools he gained throughout his career to emerge as the winner in the ADXC cage, so his opponent better watch out for that merciless guillotine.
Moving on to the Gi main event, a rivalry from the mats gets another episode. With two World Pro titles in his resumé, DreamArt leader Isaque Bahiense will put his skills to the test against Atos’ Gustavo Batista, who conquered the King of Mats 2019. Their record within the AJP puts Isaque at an advantage, with him winning against Gustavo in both the ADGS Rio 2017 and the ADWPJJC 2018. Meanwhile, Gustavo has seized the victory against Isaque in the aforementioned King of Mats, being the champion after defeating his long-time foe in the finals.
Middleweights Belal Muhammad and Tarek Suleiman will put their no-gi prowess to good use in the co-main event. An American MMA fighter with a Palestine background, Belal Muhammad is a UFC fighter who’s defeated some of the greatest Jiu-Jitsu users in MMA, such as Demian Maia and Gilbert Burns. However, that doesn’t scare the Syrian mixed martial artist Tarek Suleiman, a UAE Warriors powerhouse who boasts 12 wins at the event, six of those being by submission, and who’ll be ready to use his dangerous neck attacks to overcome Belal.
Roberto Cyborg and Anton Minenko will lead another co-main event. Fighting without the gi, the Fight Sports leader Roberto Cyborg will bring his powerful takedowns and sweeps to the ADXC cage with two clear goals in mind: defeat his opponent and put on a great show while doing it. It’s up to the Australian black belt Anton Minenko to use his game, which has landed
him several titles within the AJP, to pull the brakes on the Brazilian’s ambitions and earn what could be one of his greatest achievements.
Zayed, Tayane, Luiza, Fellipe and more stars complete the card
For the preliminary bouts, the action doesn’t die down. In a no-gi match, the “Pride of Palestine” Abdul-Kareem Al-Sewady brings the extensive arsenal that earned him 15 victories in MMA to fight Islam Reda, the “Egyptian Zombie” that has recently made waves in the UAE Warriors with two memorable wins via submission. Meanwhile, seasoned heavyweight and ADWPJJC champion Tayane Porfírio will put on her gi and head to the Mubadala Arena to seize yet another victory for her resumé, but she’ll have to face Giovana Jara, a new but well-known black belt that recently took the ADGS Miami by storm, submitting all the opponents in her weight division.
Two very well-matched gi duels promise to turn up the heat at the ADXC. In the welterweight division, Fabricio Hokage; Andrey comes to represent Alliance with his amazing Jiu-Jitsu. His opponent will be the experienced Marcio Andre, from Nova União, who has countless titles and memorable duels in his career.
In the lightweight division, prominent UAE athlete Zayed Alkhateeri will face one of the main names in his division, the versatile Thalison Soares, in a fight that Jiu-Jitsu fans are eager to watch.
In another no-gi fight, Polish Marcin Held, an athlete with stints in the UFC, Bellator, and PFL, brings his dangerous game of leg locks to face UFC athlete Guram Kutateladze, a Swede known as the Georgian Viking. Still without the cloth, Jonnatas Gracie arrives on the card to represent Atos against the dangerous Natan Chueng, an athlete from the growing Fratres team. Back in the gi, AJP champions Fellipe Andrew and Uanderson Ferreira promise to shake up the ADXC cage with a duel in the middleweight division.
To top it off, two women’s gi duels are scheduled to start the card off on the right foot. In the middleweight division, the champion Luiza Monteiro comes to represent Atos against fellow black belt Nathalie Ribeiro, from CheckMat. Before that, representing the new generation of Jiu-Jitsu, we’ll have a fight between Sarah Galvão, the daughter of Jiu-Jitsu champions André and Angelica Galvão, and the fierce Vitória Gabriella, from Castro Team. Last but not least, heavyweights collide in a no-gi duel, with Dan Manasoui representing the famous New Wave Jiu-Jitsu, against GFTeam black belt Antonio Assef.
The debut edition of the Abu Dhabi Extreme Championship will feature 14 matches in a tournament of unprecedented scale within the sport. The ADXC and its cage will completely take over the Mubadala Arena on October 20th, gifting the attending crowds a show they won’t soon forget. Keep your eyes peeled at @adxcofficial on Instagram to stay up-to-date on all the details and developments ahead of the big day. Get your tickets now, by clicking here, and don’t miss it!
ADXC 1
Mubadala Arena, Abu Dhabi – UAE
October 20, 2023
Main Card
Neiman Gracie vs. Ben Henderson – No-gi Main event
Isaque Bahiense vs. Gustavo Batista – Gi Main Event
Belal Muhammad vs. Tarek Suleiman – No-gi Co-main Event
Roberto Cyborg Abreu vs. Anton Minenko – No-gi Co-main Event
Super Fights
Tayane Porfirio vs. Giovanna Jara – Gi Super Fight
Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady vs. Islam Nader Reda – No-gi Super Fight
Fabricio Andrey vs. Marcio Andre – Gi Super Fight
Zayed Alkatheeri vs. Thalison Soares – Gi Super Fight
Marcin Held vs. Guram Kutateladze – No-gi Super Fight
Fellipe Andrew vs. Uanderson Ferreira – Gi Super Fight
Jonnatas Gracie vs. Natan Chueng – No-gi Super Fight
Nathalie Ribeiro vs. Luiza Monteiro – Gi Super Fight
Dan Manasoui vs. Antonio Assef – No-gi Super Fight
Sarah Galvão vs. Vitoria Gabriella – Gi Super Fight
