Weekend Recap: China, Austria, and Cyprus join AJP to host memorable tournaments

May 26, 2025

The action continues here at AJP as the organization continues to bring high-end competitions to practitioners all over the world in order to increase Jiu-Jitsu's influence on a global scale while also giving its athletes the chance to hone their skills and make a living from the sport. This time around, three countries were chosen to hold their tournaments in the AJP calendar, with Nationals in China and Cyprus and an International in Austria. Check out the highlights from each championship below!

AJP Tour China National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Thiago Pomo and Jue Wang take the gold in Beijing

Taking place on both days of the weekend, the China National landed at the Tsinghua University Gymnasium and welcomed athletes of all ages and graduations to show their skills and fight for the coveted AJP gold medal.

Highlighting the competition, two black belts from the Professional category stole the spotlight as they conquered the title in their respective weight classes. On the men's side, the Brazilian Thiago Pomo (Fight Geek China BJJ) showed his skills in the 77kg division, starting with a 6-1 win over the local powerhouse Xiaosong Shi (Kuzushi BJJ) in the semifinal. In the final, Thiago went up against his compatriot Victor Hugo de Sousa (Up Ace) and once again emerged victorious, this time putting on a dominant display as he put the scoreboard at 9-0 before ultimately submitting around the two-minute mark.

Over on the women's side, the Chinese Jue Wang (Tactics BJJ) took the double gold in the 70kg division, starting her campaign in the gi with a 6-3 win over Yuan Zhou (Kuzushi BJJ) in the semifinal and then beating Man Ju (Gracie Barra Shunyi) in the gold round by 7-2 to take her first title. Later, she joined the No-Gi 70kg bracket and outscored Man Ju once again, landing a 6-2 score to take her second trip to the top of the podium.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Vienna International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Daniel Effen and Ahmed Laaribi become champions in Austria

On Saturday, May 24th, the Vienna International took over the SV Arminen for an afternoon of competition and received colored and black belts from all corners of the planet, resulting in another memorable event for the annals of the AJP.

Coming as the tournament's highlight, the Brazilian black belt Daniel Effen (Al Jazira Jiu-Jitsu Club) entered the 69kg division ready to fight tooth and nail for the title, and ended up running into Robert Delic (BJJ Slovakia) in the gold round. With no submissions from either side, the match took up the entirety of the regulated time, with Daniel using his skills to quickly take and then maintain the upper hand until the clock ran out, emerging victorious with a 5-1 score.

Another athlete who managed to stand out in the competition was Ahmed Laaribi, a Tunisian black belt representing Europe Nova Jiu-Jitsu Team who conquered the 120kg division. Facing the fearsome Moldovan Eldar Rafigaev (Jungle BJJ) for the title, Ahmed unleashed his game and quickly took control of the bout, only increasing his advantage in the scoreboard as time passed. At the end of it all, a comfortable 7-0 gave Ahmed the win and the top spot on the podium.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Cyprus National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Kim Merabian and Diogo Moraes conquer the title in Nicosia

On Sunday, May 25th, the Agios Dometios Sports Center opened its doors for the Cyprus National and brought competitors from all over the world to compete for gold and glory in the Cypriot capital of Nicosia.

With a majority of colored belts across the six fight areas of the tournament, two Master 1 black belts managed to stand out as they showed their younger peers what it takes to reach the top of the competitive food chain. First, the Russian Kim Merabian (Checkmat International) took the 77kg division title after facing the Brazilian Ginaldo de Souza (Samurai Academy Kazakhstan) in the final, scoring multiple times throughout the regulated time and ending the match with a 5-1 score.

Later, the Brazilian Diogo Moraes (Near East Jiu-Jitsu) faced a tough battle with that same Kim Merabian for the No-Gi 94kg division gold. Facing a very tough opponent, Diogo was faced with a difficult battle for the title, but he rose to the challenge and managed to score two important points during the match, controlling his foe's movements until the clock ran out and ending the duel with a 2-0 score to become the champion.

Check out the full results here!