A steel cage match can be both physically and mentally demanding, but an Abu Dhabi-based Emirati girl is eagerly looking forward to this challenge. Balqees Al Hashmi is ready for her first Jiu-Jitsu bout inside a steel cage. The 20-year-old is determined to perform well against her Russian opponent Maria Odintsova at the fifth edition of the Abu Dhabi Extreme Championship (ADXC5) on Friday.
“I have never been inside a cage and always competed on a mat. This will be a new experience,” Balqees told Khaleej Times on the sidelines of a press conference for ADXC5.
“I was having a camp for the past four weeks and training three times a day with a combination of Jiu-Jitsu and gym. I was training inside the cage, and learning and adapting to new rules of this championship.”
Rules of ADXC, a grappling tournament, are different from other Jiu-Jitsu and mixed martial arts competitions with fighters engaging in wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu techniques. They cannot punch or kick but can deploy submission moves like arm bars, leg locks, and chokes.
Practising along with teammate Mariam Al Ali at the UAEJJ Fitness and the Mubadala Arena, Balqees has been working to improve her game for the three-round Jiu-Jitsu atomweight prelims bout.