Jump to
Abu Dhabi World Pro 2023 crowns BJJ champions
The Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship is one of the biggest gi tournaments of the year, and 2023 was a special occasion as it marked the 15th edition of the event. There were several returning champions, most notably Gabrieli Pessanha who won the heavyweight division for the fifth year in a row. BJJ star Mayssa Bastos emerged victorious at the opposite end of the scale at roosterweight, winning her fourth title after 3 years away from the top of the podium.
Fellipe Andrew also won a title for the second year in a row, moving up to light-heavyweight this time. Meyram Maquine also retained his title with impressive performances at featherweight, while Diego Sodre did the same at lightweight. One of the most surprising storylines to emerge from the event is the growth of Jiu-Jitsu in Portugal, as both Pedro Ramalho and Bruno Lima won gold medals at welterweight and middleweight respectively.
Full results for the event can be found here.
Surprises in stacked BJJ tournament at Main Character Jiu-Jitsu 2
Main Character Jiu-Jitsu is relatively new to the professional grappling scene, but the promotion put together a fantastic welterweight tournament for their second event. In a field of 16 elite grapplers, it was 10th Planet that shone the brightest as both of the finalists were representing the affiliation. ADCC veteran PJ Barch dominated one side of the bracket, submitting his first two opponents in regulation time before submitting the third in EBI overtime and making it into the final.
On the other side of the bracket, Combat Jiu-Jitsu world champion Ryan Aitken won his first two matches before facing John Danaher student Oliver Taza in the semi-final. After beating Taza by ride-time in EBI overtime, Aitken did the same to Barch in the final match and was crowned the promotion’s middleweight champion. Elsewhere, Sophia Cassella submitted Jasmine Rocha in EBI overtime to take home the promotion’s flyweight title in the main event.
Full results for the event can be here.
Mixed results from IBJJF’s new event: The Crown
The IBJJF put together an incredible lineup for their new event, The Crown, put the end result was pretty underwhelming. What should have been a convincing argument that gi competition could be just as exciting as no gi competition didn’t quite pan out that way. The idea to schedule bronze-medal matches in four-person brackets was an unusual one to begin with, but it was made significantly weaker by the fact that only half of them even took place in the end.
In addition, the men’s ultra-heavyweight division was incredibly disappointing. One of the opening round matches ended in a double-disqualification, meaning that the other one was the only match that determined the division’s winner. On the bright side, BJJ stars Tainan Dalpra and Fellipe Andrew both put in slick performances to win at middleweight and heavyweight, while Gabrieli Pessanha extended her incredible unbeaten run in the super-heavyweight division to 107 matches in a row.
Full results for the event can be found here.
Two promotions attract top grapplers to the UK
Both Grapplefest and Enyo Grappling staged events in the UK on the same night, and both of them delivered a ton of action. Enyo is the top women’s-only grappling promotion in Europe and they put together their first team event, with a battle between the UK and Ireland as the main attraction. Although things started out relatively evenly-matched, the Irish contingent really ran away with it and team captain Rosa Walsh led them to a huge 14-3 win.
Grapplefest 17 was a more traditional fight-card with a series of matches between elite competitors, culminating in a pair of title-fights. Ashley Bendle won the vacant women’s under 55kg after winning a decision over Mara Kelly in the co-main event, and William Tackett managed to dethrone fellow ADCC veteran Eoghan O’Flanagan as the under 90kg champion in the main event. Earlier on in the night, UFC and PFL veteran Stevie Ray hit a beautiful heelhook to submit grappling specialist Shane Curtis.
Full results for Grapplefest 17 can be found here.
Full results for Enyo Grappling 5: UK vs Ireland can be found here.
Quick Hits
- Dillon Danis announced his retirement, despite initially planning a return to grappling in 2023 and only recently making his boxing debut.
- Despite not initially winning a contract on DWCS, four-time IBJJF no gi World Champion Talita Alencar will make her promotional debut at UFC on ESPN+ 91.
- After suffering a rib injury during training, Gordon Ryan has announced that he will no longer be competing at WNO 21 or UFC FPI 5 and will not return until 2024.
- Four grappling promotions; Twisted Church, Sapateiro, Finishers Sub-Only, and Enigma Invitational, have announced that they will co-promote a Quintet event in 2024.
Technique Corner
Tips to avoid being mounted
Arm saddle to Armbar
Cartwheel bodylock escape
Meme of the Week
About the author
