Weekend Recap: AJP promotes high-octane tournaments in the UAE, Russia, and Kazakhstan
April 22, 2025
Another weekend and another batch of stellar competitions held all around the planet as the AJP reaffirms its commitment to Jiu-Jitsu and its practitioners. In addition to the long-awaited debut of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Grappling World Tour, the organization also brought three other events to help the athletes looking to climb the global rankings in the final months of the 2024-2025 season, with a Regional in the UAE alongside Internationals in Russia and Kazakhstan. Without further ado, let's check out the highlights from each championship.
AJP Tour East Coast Regional Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Catriel Rodrigues and Jad Tabbara take the Professional gold in the UAE
Held from April 18th to 20th, the East Coast Regional took over the Mubadala Arena throughout the weekend as athletes from all over the world flocked to Abu Dhabi hoping to seize the title of champion in the birthplace of the AJP. With three days of action and seven fight areas ready to go, competitors showcased their skills and fought for the top of the podium in the heart of the UAE.
Highlighting the tournament, the Brazilian black belt Catriel Rodrigues (Team Zone 10 Jiu Jitsu) dominated the heaviest division and took home the 120kg gold. Fighting in a three-man bracket, Catriel started off with an explosive duel in a semifinal against the Colombian Wilson Neiva (Commando Group), with Catriel putting the pedal to the metal and locking the winning submission in less than thirty seconds. Moving up on the bracket, Catriel ended up facing his compatriot Andre Carvalho (Delariva Abu Dhabi) for the gold, and this time around there were no submissions from either side, but Catriel was still dominant as he scored multiple times before using his technical know-how to control the flow of the match and take the gold with a 6-0 score.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese Jad Tabbara (Al Wahda Club Jiu-Jitsu Academy) donned his blue belt and entered the purple belt Professional 56kg division with his sights set on the title. In a bracket filled with Emirati athletes, Jad first submitted Ahmed Alshehhi (Dubai Police HQ) in the quarterfinal before outscoring Khalid Al Ali (MOD UAE) in the semis. For his final match, Jad went up against Abdulla Alkaabi (Al Ain Jiu-Jitsu Club) in a balanced match, with the former shining on the mats as he seized the upper hand and emerged victorious with a 7-4 score to become the division champion.
Check out the full results here!
AJP Tour Moscow International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Artur Osipov and Vladimir Blium become champions in Russia
Taking place at the Sambo 70 on Saturday, April 19th, the Moscow International brought the AJP action to the Russian capital and welcomed athletes of all ages and graduations to fight for the gold and warm up the mats for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Grappling World Tour Moscow, which took place on the following day and you can check the highlights here.
Showcasing their skills in the Professional category, two black belts entered the tournament and used their technical prowess to reach the top spot on the podium. First, the Bulgarian Artur Osipov (Checkmat International) became the champion after three battles in the 77kg bracket, starting with a lightning-fast submission win over the local Ivan Obukhov (Strela Team) in the quarterfinals before outscoring the Russian Nikita Devyatov (Universal Jiu Jitsu) by 11-4 to save his spot in the final. Up against the American Brian Mahecha (Outer Heaven) for the title, Artur once again went all-out as soon as the match began, quickly overwhelming his opponent and taking the win via submission.
The other highlight goes to the local Vladimir Blium (Gojira Jiu-Jitsu), who overcame all the opponents and became the 120kg division champion. In a three-man bracket with only Russian athletes, Vladimir made his first match against Roman Emelianov (187 BJJ Team) and came out on top with a 7-0 score to advance to the final. After submitting Dmitrii Vostrikov (GFTeam Russia) in the following match, Roman got the chance for a rematch in the gold round, but Vladimir was already familiar with his adversary's game and put on a dominating display throughout the bout, scoring 4-0 before ultimately submitting around the one-minute mark.
Check out the full results here!
AJP Tour Almaty International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: DongWon Yang and Shamil Balaev reach the top of the podium in Kazakhstan
On Sunday, April 20th, the Almaty International landed at the Zerdeli Sports and Fitness Complex and brought about an entire afternoon of competition, with colored and black belts fighting tooth and nail for the gold medal and the 600 ranking points given to each champion.
Fighting out of South Korea, the Master 1 black belt DongWon Yang (Kwon One Korea Jiu Jitsu) joined the 85kg division and went through a very challenging duel against the local Samat Kunayev (Kazakhstan Team) for the title. With both sides defending each other's attacks, the fight maintained that balance throughout the regulated time, with the scenario repeating itself in the Golden Score. At the end of it all, the referees decided that DongWon had the most effective moves and gave him the win and the gold medal via decision.
Another highlight was the local brown belt Shamil Balaev (Kazakhstan Team), who entered the 94kg division to fight for the division gold. Facing two compatriots in a three-man bracket, Shamil started his campaign with a 6-2 win over his teammate Daulet Dyussekenov and made his way to the final, facing Aziz Maniev (Black Belt Qazaqstan) in the final match. The duel was intense and both sides managed to score multiple times, but Shamil's technique proved to be superior and gave him the win with a 13-7 on the scoreboard.
Check out the full results here!