June 10, 2023

On the second day of the explosive Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Rio, it was time for the Professional athletes to make their debut. This Saturday, June 10th, purple and brown belts strode onto the Arena Carioca with confidence and gave a memorable show as they fought for glory and rose through their respective brackets. Now with all the fights done and the division champions in their due place, we take a look at the highlights of the brown belt category.

Representing the legendary PSLPB Cícero Costha, Andrew Cardoso went through the Under 62kg division like a tidal wave. After two submissions and one win via the referee’s decision, Andrew reached the final round, where he once again showcased his talent by submitting João Victor de Araujo to take the gold.

In the Under 85kg bracket, Dream Art’s Rafael Borges had no less than five matches standing between himself and the title of ADGS champion. Without faltering, Rafael went on to submit every opponent as he made his way to the final. In the gold round, a 4-2 score gave Rafael the upper hand against fellow teammate Gabriel Galvão.

Other highlights were Thiago Siqueira, who scored last against Lucas Menezes to take the 56kg gold; Pablo Candido, who outscored three opponents before landing a 4-3 against Marcos Pinheiro in the Under 69kg final; and Eldeson Silva, who conquered the 120kg gold with an 8-6 score against Gabriel Ribeiro.

Click here for the complete results of the second day and stay tuned at AJP for the black belt finals on the third and final day of the ADGS Rio!