Two Emirati Jiu-Jitsu fighters held the UAE flag high after overpowering their respective opponents at the recent fourth edition of Abu Dhabi Extreme Championship (ADXC 4) at Dojo de Paris, in France.
National champions Shammah AlKalbani and Khaled AlShehhi came back with two victories in the competition that brought high-level players from across the globe to the French capital which is busy with preparations to host the upcoming Summer Olympic Games. Previous editions of ADXC were held in Abu Dhabi and Balneário Camboriú, Brazil.
AlKalbani is the first Emirati woman who competed and won at ADXC. The 21-year old is also the first female Jiu-Jitsu player to win a medal at the World Games in Alabama back in July 2022. She is also the Asian Champion in Jiu-Jitsu.
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AlKalbani competed in the preliminary card against Lina Grosset from France. Both athletes exchanged foot attacks in the first round and engaged in more movement in the second round.
Grosset applied more pressure in the third round but AlKalbani overpowered her with significant attacks that ultimately convinced the majority of the referees to award AlKalbani a win via split decision.
AlShehhi also won via split decision in the co-main event against his opponent from Brazil, Leonardo Mario.
AlShehhi is a black belt athlete, a gold medal winner at the World Games, a grand slam tour winner, and an Asian Champion. The 20-year old has been playing Jiu-Jitsu since 2012, when he was only eight. Since then, he has achieved success in the game.