Emelianenko and Mousasi to Compete at ADCC

For submission grapplers and submission grappling fans, the Abu Dhabi Combat Club is, bar none, the greatest contest of skill that the world of no-gi has to offer. While the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championships satisfy the desire of the BJJ traditionalists, the cutting edge of submission grappling is on display at ADCC.

Every major grappling icon of this generation competes, and now the Combat Club will welcome two more members: reigning heavyweight king Fedor Emelianenko and Dream middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi. Fedor’s grappling has already been well demonstrated in MMA and in Combat Sambo, but it has never been tested in pure grappling against the greatest minds in the sport. Mousasi’s game is a relative unknown, as many are unsure how it will operate without strikes (like the upkick he used to put down former ADCC champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza).

Both of these men will be tested against the best in grappling, and as a long time fan of sport grappling, as well as MMA, I’m curious to see how this goes. How will Fedor fare against heavyweight grappling kings like Roger Gracie and Xande Ribiero? Will Mousasi be able to hold his ground against Souza without strikes, and will he be able to compete with defending 88kg champion and UFC competitor Demian Maia?

I’ll be honest. I have a hard time imagining Mousasi holding his ground in the 88kg division. That’s a very tough weightclass (though there’s no ADCC weightclass that isn’t competitive, with the exception of a 77kg class dominated by Marcelo Garcia), and I can’t see Mousasi faring any better if he chooses to go up or down one, as going down puts him in Garcia’s dominion and going up puts him the land of Xande Ribeiro, defending silver medalist Braulio Estima and defending open weight champion Robert Drysdale.

The addition of Fedor is one that makes the division exciting and (as with Mousasi) it will be interesting to a see a fighter from a different country enter the division with a chance at winning. Fedor’s chances are good when it comes to ending up on the podium (as are Fedor’s chances when he does anything that involves slamming and tapping people) and in a competition where the only two countries to take medals were Brazil (14 total, 5 gold, 5 silver, 4 bronze) and the US (4, 1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze), being the lone Russian on the podium would mean a lot for the world of Russian grappling (though perhaps not as much to Fedor, individually, when considering all of his other accomplishments).

Overall, this will make the brackets that much more interesting when it comes time for ADCC 2009. They always have an exciting show, and the additions of Fedor and Mousasi make it that much more star-studded, and even add to the level of competition.