Weekend Recap: Greece, Mexico, and Switzerland join AJP and host memorable tournaments

February 17, 2025

In another action-packed weekend, the AJP is back to increase Jiu-Jitsu's influence worldwide and provide athletes with more chances to make a living from the sport as it hosts explosive competitions around the globe. With all events taking place on Saturday, February 15th, the organization had three tournaments going on in three different countries, with a National in Greece and Internationals in both Mexico and Switzerland. Without further ado, let's check out the highlights from each championship.

AJP Tour Greece National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Eldar Rafigaev and Tamerlan Eslemesov take the double gold in Athens

Taking place at the Dais Athletic Center Amarousio, the Greece National brought about an entire afternoon of competition to the Southern European country, giving local and foreign athletes the chance to show their skills and test themselves against their peers while seeking the title of champion within one of the most recognized organizations in the sport.

Highlighting the tournament, two black belts went above and beyond in their campaigns, adding the coveted double gold to their resumés after memorable battles. The first was the Moldovan Eldar Rafigaev (Jungle BJJ), who started off by joining the Professional 120kg division and quickly overwhelming the local Lefteris Pagkalos (GFTeam) to end the final round in a submission with under one minute on the clock. Eldar returned to the battlefield later on, this time competing without the gi and joining a three-man bracket in the Master 2 120kg division. After quickly submitting the Greek Pavlakis Ilias (Gracie Barra Greece) in the first match, Eldar made his way to the final and ended up facing Pavlakis yet again, using his aggressive Jiu-Jitsu to land his third and final submission around 30 seconds after the start of the bout.

The second highlight goes to the Russian Tamerlan Eslemesov (Top Team Fight Club), who entered two different brackets to rule over the 94kg division in the Professional category. Starting in the gi, Tamerlan first submitted the local Vasileios Dimakareas (Octagon Academy Jiu-Jitsu) around the one-minute mark and then got the better of Italy's Juan Albarello (Team Predador International) with a 3-0 score to take his first title. Later, Tamerlan took off his gi and joined the same weight class, bringing about a deja vu feeling as he once again submitted Vasileios and then scored 3-0 to beat Juan Albarello in the gold round.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Monterrey International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Adrian Almeida and Daniel Espericueta take the Professional gold in Mexico

On that same Saturday, the Monterrey International landed at the Gimnasio Nuevo León and offered athletes of all ages and graduations the chance to hone their techniques while competing against talented opponents to take the coveted AJP gold medal.

Among the many contenders stepping up to the mats, two athletes from the Professional category showcased their skills as they conquered their respective weight classes. First, Ecuador's black belt Adrian Almeida (Team Predador International) took down two opponents to assert his dominance over the 120kg bracket, submitting the local Daniel Elizondo (Double Five Jiu-Jitsu) in less than 15 seconds to reach the final and then landing a second submission on the gold round to beat the Brazilian Caio Matos (GFTeam) and take the title.

Meanwhile, the Mexican brown belt Daniel Espericueta (Double Five Jiu-Jitsu) had his technical prowess on full display as he beat his compatriot Sergio Gutierrez (Brasa Cancun) in the 94kg division. With the top spot of the podium on the line, Daniel quickly seized the advantage on the scoreboard and unleashed his Jiu-Jitsu to keep his opponent on the defensive. With a whopping 10-0 on the scoreboard, Daniel found the chance to end the match early and went all in, landing the submission halfway through the match and taking the gold medal.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Zurich International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Jonas Andrade takes the double gold in Switzerland

Last but not least, the Zurich International gave athletes another option to compete this weekend as it brought six fight areas to the Sportanlagen Ag Wallisellen for an entire day of competition. With 600 points and the chance to become an AJP champion on the line, colored and black belts stepped up to the mats and put on memorable performances while seeking to lead their weight classes.

Cue Jonas Andrade (Humbling Jiu Jitsu Club), a Spanish black belt from the Professional category who managed to stand out amongst his peers as he conquered the 69kg division and the double gold in the tournament. Starting in the gi, Jonas went up against Panama's Jorge Calvino (GFTeam) in the final round of the bracket and completely dominated his opponent, scoring an astounding 30-0 before landing the winning submission in the last minute of the match.

Later, Jonas returned to the mats gunning for the No-Gi 69kg division title but ended up running into Jorge Calvino once again in the gold round. Having tested his opponent's game in the previous match, Jonas knew what to expect and had a clear path to victory, so he put the pedal to the metal and gave Jorge almost no room to breathe, quickly overwhelming his opponent and submitting in under one minute to climb to the top of the podium once again.

Check out the full results here!