The absolute division at the 2016 Abu Dhabi World Pro was full of surprises as favorites fell, underdogs advanced and two promising competitors found themselves DQ’d.

Felipe Pena secured his spot in the final by defeating (in order) Marcio Andre, Claudio Calasans, Dany Gerard and Alexander Trans.

The other finalist is the little-known Jose Junior, a Brazilian black belt based in the UAE. He defeated Hassem Moussa, Jackson Sousa, Luiz Panza and Ricardo Evangelista.

Erberth and Honorio Double DQ’d

Jose Junior was scheduled to fight in the semi-finals, but the double DQ of Erberth Santos and Victor Honorio means he automatically advances to the final. The bout was stopped about halfway through when the referee double DQ’d them after repeated warnings for inactivity in the stand-up battle.

One By One, The Big Names Fell

The list of big-name competitors who lost today reads like a list of who’s who of jiu-jitsu.

• Keenan Cornelius lost to Alexander Trans via referee decision
• Andre Galvao lost via advantage to Erberth Santos
• Leandro Lo lost via advantage to Victor Honorio
• Claudio Calasans lost 4-2 to Felipe Pena
• Roberto Cyborg lost to Alexander Trans via points
• Jackson Sousa lost to Jose Junior

The final between Felipe Pena and Jose Junior will take place on Saturday.

Video replays of matches are being uploaded – take a look on the event page 




Erberth Santos vs Andre Galvao