Nearly Perfect! Luiza Monteiro Finishes Three Out of Four Opponents to Become the Lightweight Abu Dhabi Queen of Mats
Long live the Queen! Brazil’s Luiza Monteiro had a nearly perfect campaign this Friday, November 1st, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to become the first ever lightweight Abu Dhabi Queen of Mats. With ten years of experience as a black belt, Luiza imposed her game on much younger opponents to finish three out of four matches. Only Ana Rodrigues, in the final, was able to survive the six minutes against Luiza. Here’s how the champion was crowned at the Arena Carioca 1.
GROUP STAGE
GROUP A
Bianca Basílio opened the afternoon with a sweep to beat Mayssa Bastos 2-0. On round 2, Ana Rodrigues beat Bia Basílio by referees decision after a 1-1 tie on advantages. Round 3 closed the group with Ana Rodrigues outscoring Mayssa Bastos 2-1 on advantages. In the end, Ana Rodrigues qualified in first place and Bia Basílio made it to the semifinals in second place.
GROUP B
Amal Amjahid debuted with a 3-1 lead on advantages over Talita Alencar. On round 2, Luiza Monteiro worked a triangle choke to finish Talita Alencar. Round three closed the group with Luiza finishing Amal Amjahid with an armbar. Luiza qualified to the semifinals in first place followed by Amal Amjahid.
SEMIFINALS
Amal Amjahid vs. Ana Rodrigues
In a very close match, Ana Rodrigues managed one sweep more than Amal to build a 4-2 lead and secure her spot in the title match.
Luiza Monteiro vs. Bianca Basílio
Luiza kept her performance at the highest level and worked her way to Bia’s back to sink a choke and guarantee her shot for the crown.
THIRD PLACE MATCH
Bianca Basílio vs. Amal Amjahid
In another very tough match, Bia Basílio secured her spot on the podium with a narrow 1-0 lead on advantages over Amal Amjahid.
FINAL
Luiza Monteiro vs. Ana Rodrigues
Merciless, Luiza hit the mat running and found her way to Ana’s back. She worked hard to find the right hand position for a choke, but Ana was relentless on the defense of her neck. In the end, Luiza was perfectly happy with a 4-0 win on points. With the result, she wrote her name as the first ever Abu Dhabi Queen of Mats in the lightweight division. “I am so happy! I wanted to put my game to work on every match and fight to finish all my opponents. I almost did it. It’s an honor to compete against such tough adversaries from the new generation and prove that women’s Jiu-Jitsu can be as exciting as men’s.”
The Abu Dhabi Queen of Mats returns on January 2020, in Abu Dhabi, with the heavyweight division (up to 95kg). The Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Rio continues this Saturday, November 2nd. Click here for more info about the ADGS Rio. Follow the complete coverage on Instagram at @ajptour and @jjwplus. Be a part of the show by posting your experiences on social media using the hashtags #abudhabigrandslam and #adgsrio. Watch the matches live at AJPTV.