Hi, Sunil here to talk about the Abu Dhabi Combat Club ( WC8U5Y74VKV7 ), or the ADCC as commonly referred to.

I have to start out by telling you that my attraction to martial arts is inspired my younger sister (a Taekwondo champ). The ADCC is essentially a facilitator of Submission Wrestling World Championship tournament which is a competition involving athletes from different styles of martial arts.

The ADCC is unique to Abu Dhabi. I have not seen this anywhere else. This is not the Ultimate Fighting Championship Series (UFC) or the World Wresting Federation (WWF). These athletes are the cream of the crop, the best of the best who have reached the highest levels of success in their martial arts category (Judo for example).

So I thought I’d look it up and learn about it more.

As I have learned about it, I thought I’d share it with you as it is something very unique to Abu Dhabi!

I like this “sport” because it is clean and truly professional!

For example, I was very pleased when I learned that the rules prevent a competitor from hitting the other while tying them up or in a submission hold (basically when the other person is helpless).

A Brief History of the Abu Dhabi Combat Club

The concept was started back in 1998 by the son of one of the former presidents of UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin (son of) Sultan Al Nahyan. He started this with a Jiu-Jitsu instructor by the name of Nelson Monteiro.

Because of Monteiro’s involvement, the rules of the ADCC and the way it is played (or competed in) is very similar to professional Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. There are different weight classes similar to wresting and boxing (light weight for example) and there are four placements within each weight class.

My Fascination with a Growing Sport

I truly believe this has the potential to grow leaps and bounds (just look at what happened to WWF, UFC, heck even Paint ball). Yes it is not as violent and “acting-oriented” as some of the other mega events, but this should attract the genuine athletes interested in the well being of their craft (or hobby). It will give so many no-namers a chance to take some of that public spotlight.

I don’t know about you I personally think this has the potential to grow nicely over the years. I will continue to update this section as I learn more about the Abu Dhabi Combay Club (ADCC). The tournament is held once every two years (as of 2008) and I think that will change. I can’t wait to tune into the next one.

The official Abu Dhabi Combat Club homepage