AJP Newsletter May 2025: Your Monthly Recap of the Highlights from all over the world

June 2, 2025

The fifth month of 2025 has been another busy time for AJP. With the 2024-2025 season in its final stretch, the organization took over the Mubadala Arena in the UAE for one last Abu Dhabi Grand Slam before kicking off the next season, hosted the second edition of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Grappling in the beautiful Vienna, and still kept the usual flow of competitions taking place worldwide each weekend, giving athletes from all countries the chance to hone their Jiu-Jitsu and become champions regardless of where they live. As we reach the midpoint of the year, let's take a moment to go over the highlights from May.

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam World Tour Abu Dhabi 2025: Black belts become champions and Heroes in the United Arab Emirates

Taking place at the modern Mubadala Arena from May 16th to 18th, the ADGS Abu Dhabi was the tour's closing chapter of the 2024-2025 season. With Masters and Amateurs competing on the first day, followed by Youths on the second, the tournament reached its climax on the third and final day of competition, as the Professional category took the stage and delivered memorable performances.

Competing alongside talented purple and brown belts, the aces of the Professional Black Belt category were a sight to behold as they joined their respective weight classes and fought tooth and nail for the coveted ADGS gold. Starting with the men, the 56kg division saw Bruno Borges outscore Cauã Leonor by 7-1 for the title, while Andrew Santos defeated Welison Fernandes via decision after a very balanced final in the 62kg division. Meanwhile, Nurzhan Batyrbekov showed his technical prowess as he beat the favorite Thiago Macedo for the 69kg gold, Lucas Protasio became the 77kg champion after a decision win over his rival Jefferson Goteu, and the showman Uanderson Ferreira used an early takedown to overcome Rui Neto via points. Up in the 94kg division, Vladimir Blium landed a last-minute sweep to take the title from Renato Cardoso, and Alexander Sak ruled over the 120kg division after getting the better of the powerhouse Felipe Bezerra.

Over on the women's side, Diana Teixeira got the 49kg title after a decision win over Grasielle Brandão, Gabriela Pereira beat the favorite Maria Luisa Delahaye for the 55kg division gold, and Tamara Toros became the 62kg champion with a tight 1-0 score against Rafaela Bertolot. In the 70kg division, Thamara Silva unleashed her Jiu-Jitsu and got a 7-0 win over Anna Remneva in the final, and Yara Nascimento made another stellar campaign in the 95kg bracket before taking the title from Isabely Lemos by default.

At the end of the tournament, each leader of the ranking received the honor of becoming Heroes of the Season. With eight ADGS events held and one champion per weight class, these were the 2024-2025 Heroes:

MEN

Light Featherweight (56kg): Omar Ali Alsuwaidi - 11200 Points

Featherweight (62kg): Yuri Hendrex - 11000 Points

Lightweight (69kg): Thiago Macedo - 10200 Points

Welterweight (77kg): Jefferson Goteu - 16400 Points

Middleweight (85kg): Uanderson Ferreira - 14000 Points

Light Heavyweight (94kg): Luiz Henrique Betta - 11800 Points

Super Heavyweight (120kg): Felipe Bezerra - 12600 Points

WOMEN

Roosterweight (49kg): Diana Teixeira - 17200 Points

Light Featherweight (55kg): Lina Grosset - 7600 Points

Lightweight (62kg): Julia Alves - 12100 Points

Middleweight (70kg): Giovanna Carneiro - 8400 Points

Heavyweight (95kg): Yara Nascimento - 18000 Points

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Grappling Vienna 2025: Professionals rise to the top of the podium in Austria

On May 25th, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Grappling found its way back to the AJP calendar and held its second competition at the SW Arminen, in Austria. With 2000 global ranking points on the line for each of the competitors, the ADGP Vienna was action-packed from beginning to end, with the tournament's submission-focused rule set bringing the most aggressiveness from each of the contenders.

The highlight here was the Professional category, which brought some of the most talented athletes from the international scene to fight for gold and glory in the event. On the men's side, Andrii Chernitskyi got the better of Adam Beczkowski for the 65kg title, Jose Espinosa submitted three out of his four fights to take the top spot on the 75kg division podium, and Pawel Jaworsi defeated Marek Hromadka via decision for the 85kg division. Up on the 95kg division, Samuel Karas overcame Nikita Berkovic for the gold, and Alexander Sak entered the 120kg division one week after becoming an ADGS champion and dominated Armin Douzali to add another accolade to his resumé.

On the women's side, Liisi Vaht unleashed her game and defeated Teresa Przetacka in the 55kg final, Maria Luisa Delahaye convinced all the judges and took the 65kg title from Roksana Wodzynska, and Denise Krahn used a triangle choke to submit Julia Mikolajczak and become the 95kg division champion.

AJP Tour China National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Thiago Pomo and Jue Wang become champions in Beijing

Held between May 24th and 25th, the China National took over the Tsinghua University Gymnasium and welcomed athletes of all ages and graduations to put their skills to the test as they fought to become AJP champions in their respective weight classes.

Among the many competitors that rose to the podium that day, two Professional black belts stole the spotlight with performances that landed them atop the podium. First, the Brazilian Thiago Pomo had his technical prowess on full display as he competed in the 77kg division, starting with a 6-1 win over the local heavy hitter Xiaosong Shi and later dominating Victor Hugo de Sousa with a 9-0 score.

Then, the Chinese Jue Wang highlighted the competition as she conquered the coveted double gold in the 70kg division. Starting in the gi, Jue had two daunting local opponents standing between herself and the gold, but she rose to the challenge and defeated them both, landing a 6-3 score to beat Yuan Zhou in the semifinal and then defeating Man Ju by 7-2 to take her first gold. Not too long after, Jue entered the No-Gi 70kg bracket and ran into Man Ju once again, once again unleashing her Jiu-Jitsu to take the win and the title with a comfortable 6-2 on the scoreboard.

UPCOMING: ADGS Istanbul, ADGP Abu Dhabi, Continental, and much more!

Coming as the first ADGS of the 2025-2026 season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam World Tour Istanbul 2025 takes over the Ayhan Şahenk Spor Salonu in Turkey between June 27th and 29th. Offering 2000 global ranking points for each of its champions, the tournament opens up with the Master category on the first day, followed by Amateurs and Youths on the second, and Professional athletes on the third. Looking to get a headstart in this season's ranking count? The registration window for the ADGS Istanbul will be open until June 23rd, so don't waste any more time and save your spot now.

Also this month, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Grappling makes its way to the UAE for the very first time, taking over the Mubadala Arena between June 14th and 15th. With athletes from all grappling sports invited to show their skills and fight for the glory of becoming a champion in the AJP, the competition will offer 2000 global ranking points to its winners and is set to be another memorable show, with a rule set that favors submissions above all else and rewards aggressiveness in the point count at the end of each match. It's worth noting, however, that the registrations will be available only until June 10th, meaning this is the time to save your spot and make history in the first-ever ADGP Abu Dhabi.

Another high-profile tournament coming this month is the AJP Tour Europe Continental Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025. Taking place at the Polideportivo Jose Caballero, in the Spanish capital of Madrid, the event will be held between June 7th and 8th, welcoming athletes of all ages and graduations while also giving each champion 1400 global ranking points. Drawing some of the most talented competitors in the international scene, this tournament is sure to be a memorable show, so make sure to follow every second of the action on the TX7.com platform.

In addition to the aforementioned events, the AJP will be bringing its usual batch of tournaments, with each weekend being packed with action as the organization's athletes travel the world to hone their skills in the competitive mats. Starting with the Nationals, the AJP is set to visit Estonia on June 1st, Costa Rica on June 15th, the UAE between June 20th and 22nd, India on June 21st, Romania on June 28th and 29th, and the Netherlands on June 28th. Meanwhile, there will be Regionals held in Central Asia on June 1st and Shymkent between June 14th and 15th.

Finally, here's the list of Internationals for the month of June: Kastav (June 21st), Rio Branco (June 28th-29th), Punta Cana (June 28th-29th), Bologna (June 29th).