AJP Champion Gabi Pessanha is honored with a square named after her in Rio de Janeiro

April 24, 2023

After numerous achievements worldwide fighting at AJP tournaments, Brazilian athlete Gabrieli Pessanha, current Abu Dhabi World Champion, was once again honored. Born and raised in Cidade de Deus, the famous suburb of Rio de Janeiro, Gabi was gifted with a square named after her. The inauguration took place last Saturday, April 22.

The project, conceived by the Rio de Janeiro City Hall, was based on a award that allowed the winner to choose a region to receive a boost in infrastructure, adding many improvements targeted at younger citizens of the area. This win granted Gabi a square named after her, complete with a free wifi network and brand-new physical exercise equipment to boot.

In addition to the new installation, Gabi had yet another gift coming: An artwork that depicts a photo of her at the Abu Dhabi World Pro Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2022, an event that saw the Brazilian black belt win her third title in the category. Fighting for AJP, she gathered enough points in the rankings to award her with an opportunity to travel the world with expenses paid by AJP, facing the best athletes in many different countries around the globe.

Challenging the grappling elite since 2018, as a brown belt in our mixed divisions with black belts, Gabi stood as a gold collector, winning in tournaments in Tokyo, Los Angeles, and London, until her first ADWPJJC title as a top-tier competitor, in 2019. After that, the AJP star achieved many other competitive titles under the AJP tournaments, and is until today one of the main female athletes in the Jiu-Jitsu world.

"I didn't imagine experiencing all this at such a young age. Being an AJP champion as a black belt brought me more money and visibility. They gave me all this, but the way they value their athletes is much more than just money. When I'm in Abu Dhabi to compete at the World Pro, I'm treated like a queen. The most important trophy of my career is the one I erned in Abu Dhabi."