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Second ADXC event produces several exciting highlights
ADXC 2 brought together elite BJJ black belts and top MMA fighters once again, resulting in several fun matchups and a few impressive finishes. One of the most memorable moments of the night came in one of the co-main events, where UFC veteran Luana Pinheiro was testing herself against one of the best grapplers on the planet. Ffion Davies proved to be far too much for Pinheiro to handle though, as it took her less than a minute to lock up the rear-naked choke that finished the match.
Both of the main event matches went to decision, starting with two exciting gi competitors in Bruno Lima and Manuel Ribamar. Lima had already stepped up his game last year and he proved that it wasn’t a fluke by earning the unanimous decision win. The final match of the night then saw Aljamain Sterling earning a split decision win over fellow UFC veteran Chase Hooper, and the promotion also announced that they would be visiting Brazil for the first time to showcase their third event.
Full results for the event can be found here.
First BJJ matches take place in Karate Combat pit
Although Karate Combat is obviously a promotion focused on striking, the fact that they allow for limited strikes on the ground means that fans do see short grappling exchanges. That all changed this month when the promotion announced that they had created Pit Submission Series, a grappling promotion that would serve as the preliminary card for their next event. With the unique Karate Combat pit presenting a new twist, naturally there was a lot of interest around what the matches would look like.
Three of the top prospects from New Wave Jiu-Jitsu were all facing veteran competitors in the only matches of the night, although they experienced mixed results. The team started out strong with Helena Crevar submitting Caitlin Murdock with a Dead Orchard, but Luke Griffith couldn’t continue that success. He faded towards the end of his match with Vagner Rocha and lost a decision, while Dan Manasoiu had his guard passed multiple times by Max Gimenis and also lost a decision.
Full results for the event can be found here.
Gordon Ryan announces that he will not compete outside ADCC
Gordon Ryan has cemented his legacy as the best no gi grappler on the planet with a lengthy unbeaten streak that has spanned across two editions of the ADCC world championship. It’s been a remarkable feat but there has been one small problem present throughout that time: his health. He’s had to cancel several matches over the years and has spent months on end attempting to battle with recurring stomach issues that have kept him off the mats.
He only managed to have a single match in 2023 after starting the year suffering from an illness and getting surgery, before ending it with a rib injury. Now as 2024 begins he’s announced that fans will have to wait even longer to see him in action, as he will not be competing outside of ADCC 2024. It’s a huge blow to both UFC Fight Pass Invitational and Who’s Number One, where he has been part of several main events, and it’ll be interesting to see how he deals with the extended time away on his return.
ONE targeting Mikey Musumeci vs Demetrious Johnson
ONE Championship founder and CEO Chatri Sityodtong was recently asked about the future of Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson and he revealed that he had a very unusual challenge in mind for the MMA legend. Instead of defending his flyweight MMA belt against a new challenger, Sityodtong has apparently been trying to convince Johnson to face the reigning flyweight submission grappling champion Mikey Musumeci in some kind of mixed-rules superfight.
While this might seem like an unusual idea at first, Johnson is no stranger to mixed-rules fights and he famously submitted top Muay Thai fighter Rodtang Jitmuangnon in one back in 2022. Not only that but he also has more competitive experience with grappling than he does with Muay Thai, as he won a gold medal at brown belt at the IBJJF Master World Championship. Both Musumeci and Johnson have publicly agreed to a grappling match in the past too, so it’s not hard to see this becoming a reality.
Quick Hits
- Legendary BJJ figures Wallid Ismail and Carlson Gracie Jr both get promoted to coral belt in the same ceremony.
- Former IBJJF gi and no gi world champion Mahamed Aly won his professional MMA debut in impressive fashion, knocking out his opponent in the first round.
- MMA legend Gilbert Yvel was promoted to black belt in BJJ by Remco Pardoel and Marcelo Andreoli after more than two decades of training.
- Top UFC strawweight and former IBJJF world champion Mackenzie Dern announced that she is aiming to return to Jiu-Jitsu competition in 2024.
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