February 4, 2023
The Quaycentre Sydney Olympic Park, in Sydney, Australia, hosted the AJP Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu Sydney. The event, held on Saturday, February 4th, received the best athletes from the master division, among locals and athletes from all over the world, in three mat areas with lots of action from the fighters.
Among the highlights, we had the Master 1 Black Belt final, categories that were the most crowded of the day. Check out below who were the champions and the highlights of the first day of fights. And stay tuned for this Sunday, February 5th, with the actions and finals of the Adults Black Belt divisions, live on AJPTour.tv!
MASTER 1
62kg: Nelson Lay vs Kangjin Choi
With two athletes in the bracket, Lay and Choi had a best-of-three fight. Nelson Lay achieved two submissions to secure the gold medal, the last one with a clean toe hold with no chance of escape for Choi.
69kg: Thiago Macedo vs Justin Cobby
One of the biggest names fighting in the masters division, Thiago Macedo confirmed his favoritism in the lightweight division. He made two fights and got two submissions. In the final, Thiago faced Justin Cobby, from GFTeam Australia. Thiago worked on top and almost passed the guard, forcing Justin to give in to Thiago’s back take. With technique at his best, Thiago climbed from the back and attacked with the winning bow and arrow choke.
77kg: Pedro Neto vs Talison Costa
In a duel between Brazilians, Pedro Neto and Talison Costa had a busy fight. Pedro attacked the legs and took Talison to the ground, but Talison attacked with the guillotine and used the choke to go up, securing 2-0 on the scoreboard. Then, Talison almost passed the guard and forced Pedro to spin to a turtle position, guaranteeing one more point and closing the score at 3-0 towards Talison to confirm the gold medal.
85kg: Ramon Rosa vs Alexandre Valverde
Alliance’s athlete Ramon Rosa got the win against Alexandre Valverde (Legacy) with a safe match. Leading the scoreboard with 1-0, Ramon pulled guard and Alexandre tried to pass. With a muscle sweep, Ramon got on top, adding two more points and winning by 3-1, after a penalty for stalling at the end of the fight.
94kg: Roberto Dib Frias vs Charles Negromonte
With a tense exchange in the standing fight between Roberto Dib and Charles Negromonte, the fight went to overtime. In extra time, with a few seconds left, Roberto attacked with a guillotine choke and weighed the referees’ decision in his favor, who nominated Roberto as the light heavyweight champion.
120kg: Wallace Costa vs Rodrigo Ribeiro
Wallace Costa was declared champion because his opponent didn’t show up to fight.
