Lima and Mathiesen win main card Jiu-Jitsu events at ADXC 2. AJP TOUR

The second edition of the Abu Dhabi Extreme Championship took place on 19 January at the Mubadala Arena in the United Arab Emirates. Following its successful debut in November, the tournament returned with a dazzling light show and some memorable matches between the world's best jiu-jitsu fighters.

In the Jiu Jjitsu main event, the calm and collected Bruno Lima not only withstood the pressure of the explosive Manuel Ribamar, but also found all the right opportunities to counter his attacks and emerge victorious. With his judo background shining through on the battlefield, Lima pulled off some stunning takedowns and came close to submission on more than one occasion, but Ribamar continued to attempt pulls, sweeps, and all the other tricks up his sleeve to try and get the drop on his opponent. 

Another factor that played a large part in Bruno's victory was his full use of the cage to both attack and defend, effectively using his surroundings as another weapon against Ribamar to come out on top. The Jiu-Jitsu co-main event was a technical battle between guards, with Espen Mathiesen and Pablo Lavaselli showing off their skills against each other. In the end, Espen emerged victorious, but only after five rounds of a very even fight, with both fighters showing equal skill on the top and bottom.c 

In the dying moments of the final round, Pablo managed to get past the guard, but by then Espen had already shown enough skill to tip the scales slightly in his favour and take the win by split decision in the ADXC cage.

Espen Mathiesen (in blue) celebrates his victory over Pablo Lavaselli. AJP TOUR
Espen Mathiesen (in blue) celebrates his victory over Pablo Lavaselli. AJP TOUR

The undercard and preliminary cards also provided plenty of action for the fans. 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 revenge after the setback in November, Talison Costa made his way to the cage ready to show off all of his tricks, using takedowns and sweeps to destabilise his opponent as he attempted to lock in a submission.  Ali fought back with techniques of his own and some pressure on the cage wall, but Talison's onslaught won over the majority of the judges, who awarded him a split decision victory. 

American Emily Ferreira added her name to the list of ADXC winners after defeating Jordan's Yara Kakish in the third fight of the tournament. Ferreira's guard, which worked well on both the top and bottom, gave her all the tools she needed to land the right attack in the final round. After attacking with a triangle, Emily did not let up and went for an armbar, stretching Kakish's arm fully for the victory.