Weekend Recap: AJP closes November with three powerful tournaments

December 2, 2024

The end of the year is closer than ever, but that doesn't mean things are slowing down here at AJP. On the last weekend of November, the organization kept the action going worldwide, giving athletes the chance to put their Jiu-Jitsu to the test in three different countries. Without further ado, let's check out the highlights from each championship.

AJP Tour Slovenia National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Gerhard Goebl and Pawel Kozlowski clash in Ljubljana

Held at the Dvorana Vižmarje Brod this Saturday, November 30th, the Slovenia National brought three fight areas to the Slavic country, with athletes of all ages and graduations stepping onto the mats to test their skills and fight for the gold.

Among the many fights that took place in the competition, the match-up between Germany's Gerhard Goebl and the Polish Pawel Kozlowski was the most memorable one. Their first duel took place in the 94kg division, with Gerhard taking control of the match early on and scoring multiple times while giving his opponent almost no chance to do the same. When the clock ran out, a 6-1 score gave Gerhard the win and the title, but that wasn't the end.

Later on, both athletes ran into each other in the no-gi 94kg final. While Gerhard dominated their previous match, no-gi is a different beast altogether and a second win was by no means guaranteed. From the get-go, the match was incredibly balanced, with neither side managing to score even a single point in the first few minutes. In the latter half of the bout, however, a chance arose and Pawel did not falter, going on the offensive and locking a winning submission around the four-minute mark.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Guayaquil International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Black belts take the gold in Ecuador

Also taking place on Saturday, the Guayaquil International landed at the Coliseo de Voleibol Fedeguayas for an entire afternoon of competition, welcoming colored and black belts alike to shine on the AJP mats.

Highlighting the event, the Professional black belt division saw some of the fiercest duels as the competitors sought to climb the brackets and take the gold. In the 62kg division, the local Juan Feijoo (Nova União International) first submitted the local Carlos Pizarro (Gracie Barra International) and then outscored his compatriot Enrique Guerrero with a narrow 3-2 to climb the podium. The 69kg division saw Croatian Luis Aviles (Team Predador International) beat the Ecuadorian Jonathan Barragan (Team Cascagrossa) twice for the title, taking the first win by 7-4 and the second with a 7-3 score. The local Ariel Delgado (Alliance) became the 77kg champion after scoring 2-0 over his compatriot Jeremías Gutierrez (Iturralde Arte Suave) in the semifinal and then beating the Italian Daniel Quintana via referee's decision.

Up in the 85kg division, the Brazilian Luiz Santos (Team Predador International) went through the bracket like a freight train, beating the locals Jonathan Polit (Satori Alliance Academy) and Patricio Loor (Team Predador International) via submission. Meanwhile, the Ecuadorian Adrian Almeida (Team Predador International) submitted his Italian teammate Juan Albarello twice for the 120kg gold medal. Last but not least, the Open Lightweight division saw the local Enrique Guerrero (Team Predador International) brush off his loss in the 62kg division and take his place atop the podium, submitting both his compatriot Emilio Saltos (Iturralde Arte Suave) and the American Bryan Vaca (Iturralde Arte Suave) on his way to the title.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Northwest Russia Regional Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Alan Kankulov and Vladislav Safonov keep the gold in Saint Petersburg

On Sunday, December 1st, the Northwest Russia Regional took over the Sport Complex on Asafeva Street and gave local athletes the chance to compete and test their skills in their own homeland. The tournament saw warriors from the Youth, Amateur, Master, and Professional categories flocking to the venue for an entire day of competing.

The event was highlighted by the performance of two Professional black belts. First, in the 85kg division, Alan Kankulov (Checkmat International) overcame three opponents on his way to the top of the podium, starting with a 3-1 win over Mikhail Vasilenko (Strela Team) in the quarterfinals. In the semifinal, Alan beat Vladislav Safonov (Zr Team Association) by 8-6 and advanced again through the bracket, entering a final round against Fedor Skilov (Strela Team). Alan once again showed how effective his Jiu-Jitsu can be, landing a 4-0 before ultimately submitting at the last minute.

Later on, the no-gi 85kg division saw Vladislav Safonov (Zr Team Association) shine and take the gold medal, kicking off his campaign in the bracket with a submission win in under a minute against Ignatiy Bufeev (Strela Team). For the gold round, Vladislav went up against Mikhail Vasilenko, who also reached the final after submitting his previous opponent. The ensuing match was a very balanced one, with both sides scoring multiple times and avoiding any submission attempts. When the clock ran out, a narrow 5-4 score gave Vladislav the win and the title.

Check out the full results here!