Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Moscow: Stars Shine On and Off the Mats for a Perfect Jiu-Jitsu Sunday in Russia

The last time the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Tour landed in Russia, the temperature outside was -16oC. On this Sunday, September 12, 2021, things were much hotter both in and out the Sambo 70 venue. The second stop in the 2021/2022 ADGS season delivered all the thrills fans were hoping for and more.

The ADGS Moscow had the fortune of welcoming Hollywood and Martial Arts Superstar Steven Seagal. From the stands, Mr. Seagal watched attentively the matches and surely approved the level of competition.

Another very important presence was the United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Russia. His Excellency Mohammed Ahmed Al Jaber kindly presented athletes with their medals in a special ceremony.

On the mats, purple belts, brown belts and specially black belts put on a show that lasted more than seven hours. Here are the highlights of the event, as well as the champions in each weight class of the Professional Division.

Male Professional Black Belt

Light-Featherweight (56kg) – In two matches, Francisco Jonas Andrade returned to the top of the weight class after the silver medal in Miami. He first beat Rodnei Junior 4-3 in the semifinals. The gold medal match was against newcomer Yuri Hendrex. A 8-3 lead was enough for Jonas to secure the title.

PODIUM

1^st – Francisco Jonas Andrade (Brazil)

2^nd – Yuri Hendrex (Brazil)

3^rd – Rodnei Junior (Brazil)

Featherweight (62kg) – We have a back to back champion. After shocking the opposition in Miami, Diogo Reis proved he is the real deal in Russia. First he beat Cleber Fernandes by walk over. In the final, a fierce battle against tough rival Hiago George. The 5-3 lead that secured the gold medal was built with tons of effort from the champion.

PODIUM

1^st – Diogo Reis (Brazil)

2^nd – Hiago George (Brazil)

3^rd – Cleber Fernandes (Brazil)

Lightweight (69kg) – What a tough road for Pablo Mantovani in his way to the gold medal. He debuted with a 5-0 win over Abubakar Khadaev and then waged war against Raul Basilio, wining only by scoring last in a 4-4 tie. The gold medal match was another battle against Leonardo Saggioro. Dutra brilliantly worked his way to a 5-3 lead for the title.

PODIUM

1^st – Pablo Mantovani (Brazil)

2^nd – Leonardo Saggioro (Brazil)

3^rd – Thiago Macedo (Brazil)

Welterweight (77kg) – Two matches and two submissions to secure the gold medal. That’s how Luiz Paulo Medeiros rolled in Russia. He first got the tap against Arslan Gadzhiev. The final commitment was against Magomed Ansarov, when an armbar was the weapon of choice to end the match.

PODIUM

1^st – Luiz Paulo Medeiros (Brazil)

2^nd – Magomed Ansarov (Russia)

3^rd – Arslan Gadzhiev (Russia)

Middleweight (85kg) – Julio Junior is yet another new face that had a stellar performance in Russia. He fought twice on his way to the gold medal. Junior first caught Rostislav Berezovchuk with and armbar in the semifinal. The gold medal match was much closer, as André Cantanhede also had all the credentials to win. A 2-0 lead gave Junior the gold medal.

PODIUM

1^st – Julio Junior (Brazil)

2^nd – André Luiz Cantanhede (Brazil)

3^rd – Murtazali Murtazaliev (Kyrgyzstan)\

Light-Heavyweight (94kg) – All the cheers to the home champion. Russia’s Arsen Shapiev had the crowd on their feet with a perfect campaign for the gold medal. Shapiev debuted with a 3-1 win over Artem Ushakov. The semifinal was against Abdulbari Guseinov and a 4-4 tie was settled in favor of Arsen for scoring last. The final was a hair raising affair as Shapiev found a leg lock to finish Catriel Rodrigues.

PODIUM

1^st – Arsen Shapiev (Russia)

2^nd – Catriel Rodrigues (Brazil)

3^rd – Bruno Lima (Portugal)

Super-Heavyweight (120kg) – Hard work pays off. Roosevelt Sousa worked hard on his way to the gold medal. He finished Walter dos Santos and then beat Matheus Xavier 3-0 to claim the title.

PODIUM

1^st – Roosevelt Sousa (Brazil)

2^nd – Matheus Xavier (Brazil)

3^rd – Walter dos Santos (Angola)

Female Professional Brown/Black Belt

Light-Featherweight (55kg) – Two tough matches against a very skilled opponent. That’s how Brenda Larissa won her gold medal in Russia. She fought American Alexa Yaness twice and won by the same 1-0 score.

PODIUM

1^st – Brenda Larissa (Brazil)

2^nd – Alexa Yaness (USA)

Lightweight (62kg) – Two matches and a gold medal. Sayuri Toledo first beat Liisi Vaht for scoring last in a 1-1 tie. The final match was against Russian Oksana Bench and a 2-1 lead meant the title.

PODIUM

1^st – Sayuri Toledo (Brazil)

2^nd – Liisi Vaht (Estonia)

3^rd – Oksana Bench (Russia)

Middleweight (70kg) – Two matches, two submissions. That’s how Olga Vladimirova beat Ekaterina Kustikova for the gold medal. A bow and arrow choke put the final touch in the second match.

PODIUM

1^st – Olga Vladimirova (Russia)

2^nd – Ekaterina Kustikova (Russia)

Heavyweight (95kg) – Yara Nascimento is on a row. She finished Russian Yulia Poznyakova twice to claim her second gold medal of the season. Unstoppable.

PODIUM

1^st – Yara Nascimento (Brazil)

2^nd – Yulia Poznyakova (Russia)

Male Masters Black Belt – Russia ruled over the top of the podium with three gold medalists. Brazil and Sweden managed one champion each. The Masters Black Belt division left no stone unturned.

69kg – Vladimir Kuchmistyi (Russia)

77kg – Magomedrasul Gadzhiev (Russia)

85kg – Sergio Rios (Brazil)

94kg – Alan do Nascimento (Sweden)

120kg – Khasan Betelgeriev (Russia)

Male Professional Brown Belt – Brazil and Russia fought head to head in each weight class. Brazilians took four gold medals while Russians took three. What a great battle.

56kg – Bruno Borges (Brazil)

62kg – Marcos Froede (Brazil)

69kg – Artur Agashirinov (Russia)

77kg – Elder Junior (Brazil)

85kg – Simral Tagiev (Russia)

94kg – Lucas Giraud (Brazil)

120kg – Eldar Saiidov (Russia)

Male Professional Purple Belt – Russia brought its A-Team and collected seven out of nine gold medals. Brazil and the UAE, both major forces in the Jiu Jitsu universe, were able to collect one gold each.

56kg – Omar Ali Alsuwaidi (UAE)

62kg – Vladislav Safonov (Russia)

69kg – Ricardo Conceição (Brazil)

77kg – Eduard Dimura (Russia)

85kg – Sevlan Dzhafarov (Russia)

94kg – Tagir Galimov (Russia)

120kg – Anton Dmitrakov (Russia)

Female Professional Purple Belt

62kg – Tatiana Leonova (Russia)

70kg – Elena Antonova (Russia)

TEAMS PODIUM

1^st – Strela Team (Russia) – 37000pts

2^nd – Kristian Cestaro JJA (Russia) – 18600pts

3^rd – Ludus Academy/Alliance BJJ (Russia) – 16800pts

Click here for the full results.