Saint Denis, Shamma star at ADXC 4 in Paris

Abu Dhabi: After weeks of anticipation, the fourth edition of Abu Dhabi Extreme Championship (ADXC) ended on successful note.

At the ADXC 4 some of the best competitors from jiu-jitsu and grappling entered the merciless cage and fought tooth and nail to become the newest champions at the Dojo de Paris, in the capital of France.

In the Grappling main event, the long-awaited duel between UFC powerhouses Benoit Saint Denis and Marc Diakiese gave fight fans everything they were hoping for.

Fighting in his homeland of France, Benoit used his grappling prowess to control the flow of the battle and emerge victorious in the ADXC cage. The fight almost ended quickly, with Benoit going for a neck attack and almost submitting in the very first round, but Diakiese’s top-notch defenses got him out of danger and kept the bout going, with many standing exchanges throughout the five rounds.

But while Diakiese had some good moments, Benoit’s pressure was simply too much and the latter left another foe in the dust, taking the win by unanimous decision and driving the crowd at the Dojo de Paris insane with the victory of their local champion.

Meanwhile, Espen Mathiesen spared no effort and is now a two-time champion of the ADXC. Fighting in the jiu-Jitsu main event against France’s Leon Larman, the Norwegian athlete played to his strength and started the match by pulling and trying to use his berimbolo. Feeling the danger, Leon managed to avoid his opponent’s collar grips, but Espen spun and ended up in the foot. Going for the de la riva guard, Espen managed to get a better grip and got to the back, with Leon defending against the hooks but falling prey to a collar choke still in the first round.

The grappling co-main event brought another victory for Wales’ Ffion Davies in the ADXC.

In the jiu-jitsu co-main event, Khaled Al Shehhi and Leonardo Mario found themselves evenly matched throughout the duel, which lasted five rounds of three minutes. Khaled started with a takedown, followed with a submission attempt and, when that didn’t work, used the single-leg to press Leonardo against the cage wall. Leonardo applied his pressure on Khaled’s guard, but the UAE powerhouse had a better run in the duel, using his technique to attack on top and even reach the side. When it was all said and done, Khaled had shown enough of his skills to convince the majority of the referees and conquer the title with a split decision.

A well-balanced contest unfolded between purple belts Shamma Al Kalbani from the UAE and Lina Grosset from France. In the first round, both athletes exchanged foot attacks.

The second round featured more movement, with reversals and guard passing attempts. In the third and final round, Lina applied significant pressure from the top, while Shamma launched some sneaky attacks. Ultimately, the Emirati convinced the majority of the referees, earning a win through split decision.