Gabriel Almada 
The first edition of ADXC shook the structures of the Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi on Friday, October 20. The Arab event brought together MMA legends, UFC stars and Jiu-Jitsu stars in a bombastic card. In the main fight, Neiman Gracie made his triumphant return to grappling. The black belt proved that his Jiu-Jitsu is still sharp and finished Ben Henderson with an armbar from his back in the fourth round.
Neiman followed Renzo’s advice when he was on Ben Henderson’s back and landed a straight armbar to settle the score at ADXC.
Neiman praises ADXC
Gracie held the reins of the match for much of the time and frustrated his opponent’s plans. Neiman took Bendo’s back on several occasions, but the former UFC champion defended all his rear naked choke attacks. Faced with Henderson’s resistance on the neck, Neiman executed a masterful armbar and didn’t let up.
In the post-fight interview, Neiman praised Ben Henderson, but also guaranteed that ADXC will take over the grappling scene.
Isaque beats Braguinha at ADXC
Abu Dhabi seems to be a special place for Isaque Bahiense. A three-time World Pro champion and King of Mats winner, the Dream Art leader beat Gustavo Batista by unanimous decision in the main gi fight.
Much of the fight took place on the feet and Isaque was superior in the main interactions. In the last round, Braguinha was punished for an illegal takedown and Isaque extended his lead. Isaque showed more volume, moved forward and sought out the fight more. On the other hand, Braguinha couldn’t execute his strategy and didn’t reverse the deficit. The Atos athlete pulled guard in rounds four and five, but was unsuccessful.
Cyborg remains shielded
At the top of his game at the age of 42, Roberto Abreu proved once again why he is the Cyborg of Jiu-Jitsu. He put in a dominant performance in the grappling co-main event and defeated Anton Minenko by unanimous decision after five intense rounds. Cyborg added another impressive mark to her career and becomes more impressive with every performance.
Tayane Porfírio made a cinematic comeback at ADXC. The multi-champion was almost finished with an armbar in the second round, but turned things around in the third round and defeated prodigy Giovanna Jara by unanimous decision. The scenario looked chaotic for Tayane, but she used her experience to her advantage and didn’t give her opponent a chance. Tayane went on the attack right at the start of the last round and Giovanna cooled down. Porfírio then took the double-leg takedown, passed the guard, mounted and attacked the American several times. However, the brave Jara didn’t give up, despite the setback.
In one of the most eagerly awaited bouts of the event, Fabricio Andrey beat Marcio André by split decision. With the win, Fabricio rehabilitated from the defeat he suffered to Marcio in March of this year. The black belts fought a balanced Jiu-Jitsu duel and the Alliance fighter came out on top on the scorecards.
Thalison Soares defeated local idol Zayed Alkatheeri and stopped the local crowd from celebrating. The AOJ representative played it safe, didn’t expose so many gaps to the emirati, and then excelled in the match by putting his powerful guard into practice.
Andrew shines on the ADXC
Fellipe Andrew gave a great performance at ADXC. The Alliance star finished Uanderson Ferreira with a triangle choke in the closing fight of the preliminary card. Andrew landed a precise blow in the first round and achieved a sweeping result. Uanderson tried to resist, but the pressure imposed by Andrew and the quality of Fellipe’s Jiu-Jitsu spoke louder.
Jonnatas Gracie put in an impressive performance against Natan Chueng and won with authority. Jonnatas prevailed in the standing exchanges and reduced the spaces of the Rio de Janeiro native. He also took Natan down on a few occasions to take the win by unanimous decision.
Luiza Monteiro added another notable victory to her career by defeating Nathalie Ribeiro by unanimous decision in a fierce battle. The black belts fought an even match and both invested in footlock attacks. However, Luiza’s Jiu-Jitsu was more aggressive in the view of the side referees.
“Big” Dan Manasoiu applied his finishing game and landed a lethal heel hook in just 56 seconds on Antonio Assef in the first grappling match of the ADXC. The New Wave giant proved once again that he has the credentials to establish himself as one of the most voracious predators of the grappling elite.
In the opening fight of the event, Sarah Galvão finished Vitoria Gabriella with a rear-naked choke in the final stretch of the third round. Vitoria took the first round, but Sarah applied her aggressive style in the following rounds and scored the win. She remains undefeated since her purple belt debut.
Check out the full results below:
ADXC
MAIN FIGHTS
Neiman Gracie defeated Ben Henderson by submission
Isaque Bahiense defeated Gustavo Batista by unanimous decision
Marvin Vettori defeated Tarek Suleiman by unanimous decision
Roberto Cyborg defeated Anton Minenko by unanimous decision
MAIN CARD
Tayane Porfirio defeated Giovanna Jara by unanimous decision
Abdul-Kareem defeated Islam Reda by unanimous decision
Fabricio Andrey defeated Marcio André by split decision
Thalison Soares defeated Zayed Alkatheeri by unanimous decision
Marcin Held defeated Guram Kutateladze by submission
PRELIMINARY CARD
Fellipe Andrew defeated Uanderson Ferreira by submission
Jonnatas Gracie defeated Natan Chueng by unanimous decision
Luiza Monteiro defeated Nathalie Ribeiro by unanimous decision
Dan Manasoiu defeated Antonio Assef by submission
Sarah Galvão defeated Vitoria Gabriella by submission
