Weekend Recap: five tournaments take over the first weekend of June

June 3, 2024

Starting the month of June on a high note, the AJP has stayed true to its goal of bringing Jiu-Jitsu to even more countries and held no less than five tournaments on these past two days alone. With Internationals in China, Kyrgyzstan, and Austria, in addition to a Regional in Russia and a National in Estonia, fight fans had their pick of competitions as they chose where their skills would be put to the test. Without further ado, let's check out the highlights from each championship!

AJP Tour Beijing International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Xiaosong Shi takes the double gold in China

On both days of the weekend, the Shougang Industrial Park Curling Hall opened its doors for colored and black belts from all over the world, giving one and all the chance to earn some ranking points while taking their Jiu-Jitsu to the next level on the competitive scene.

Coming as a standout in the competition, the local brown belt Xiaosong Shi (Top Brother China) stole the show by not only conquering the double gold but also by the means through which he reached this milestone. Starting in the 77kg division, Xiaosong faced the Chinese Junjie Yu (Galaxy JIujitsu) for the division title, with both competitors fighting pretty evenly until halfway through the match when Xiaosong found his chance and landed the winning submission.

With one title already taken, the brown belt Xiaosong decided to up the challenge and joined the black belt Open Lightweight division. Despite being surrounded by higher-level athletes, Xiaosong did not falter and let his Jiu-Jitsu do the talking as he submitted his first two opponents in the bracket. The final was fought against Brazil's Valter Lima (Irmandade Jiu Jitsu Carlos Lima) and, after the five minutes of regulated time, a narrow 5-4 score gave Xiaosong the win and his second gold medal that day.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Bishkek International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Professionals show their skills and take the gold in Kyrgyzstan

On Saturday, June 1st, the Gymnasium School 29 was one of the stages upon which athletes would put their training to the test, using every move and trick in their arsenal to become an AJP champion.

Despite the lack of black belts at the tournament, the Professional category still had its fair share of talented athletes. In the 69kg division, the local brown belt Kalbaev Mars (Kyrgyzstan Top Team) went all out against his countryman and teammate Uranov Zhakshylyk, taking the win and the gold via submission. Meanwhile, the Kyrgyz purple belt Nurlis Uulu (Kyrgyzstan Top Team) went all out from the get-go and landed a winning submission on Erjan Zaripov with a little over one minute on the clock to take the 69kg title.

Fighting without the gi in the 85kg division, the local purple belt Saparbek Akmatov (Kyrgyzstan Top Team) had his technical prowess on full display as he first scored a whopping 16-2 against Kristian Cestaro Jiu Jitsu Association and then got the gold after outscoring Ramazan Uulu (Golden Eagle Academy) by 8-1.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour East Russia Regional Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Vladimir Blium takes the black belt gold in Tomsk

Still on Saturday, the East Russia Regional brought the action AJP is known for to the city of Tomsk, welcoming one and all to compete for the gold at the Jfit.

The tournament was highlighted by Vladimir Blium, a Russian black belt representing Gojira Jiu-Jitsu who, after two incredible performances, conquered the Professional gold.

Fighting in the 120kg division, Vladimir first went up against Egor Ignatov (Commando Group) and scored four points before ultimately submitting to advance in the bracket. In the final, Vladimir faced Konstantin Tevs (Strela Team), who was coming in hot from a 21-1 victory over Ruslan Husainov (Gracie Barra Hamburg). Once again dominating his opponent, Vladimir quickly scored 7-0 and, when the chance arose, locked a winning submission and took the title.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Graz International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Sado Ucar and Silvio Neto take the Master gold in Austria

On that same Saturday, the Bluebox Arenz set up the AJP mats for the Graz International, welcoming athletes of all ages and graduations for an afternoon of competition. The highlight this time around was in the Master category, with two competitors showcasing their experience and prowess as they conquered the gold medal.

Fighting without the gi in the Master 1 black belt category, the local brown belt Sado Ucar (Gremlin Jiu Jitsu) put on an amazing performance as he faced the Italian black belt Silvio Neto (Barbosa Jiu-Jitsu) for the 94kg division title. The duel lasted less than a full minute, with Sado putting the pedal to the metal early on and scoring nine points before ultimately submitting to take his place atop the podium.

Before that, Silvio Neto had an achievement of his own. Fighting with the gi in the Master 2 94kg division, the Italian athlete went up against the Austrian Marc Reifberger (Invictus BJJ) in a well-balanced final match. Both sides managed to score multiple times and everything was tied up until halfway through the match, when Silvio saw his chance to tip the scales in his own favor and locked the winning submission to take the title.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Estonia National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: David Cartwright and Vladimirs Rimkevics take the Professional gold in Tallinn

On Sunday, June 2nd, the Estonia National landed at the Play Arena in Tallinn, giving local and foreign athletes the chance to end their weekend with a lot of action as they sought the gold in the organization.

Representing the UK in the tournament, the black belt David Cartwright (Apex Jiu-Jitsu HQ) had a tough battle ahead of him in the 85kg division. Facing Brazil's Francisco Bahia (Bahia Jiu-Jitsu Academy) in the final, David found himself evenly matched by his opponent, who refused to relent during the five minutes of regulated time. By scoring last in the 3-3 tie, David managed to take the win and the title.

Meanwhile, the Latvian purple belt Vladimirs Rimkevics (Riga Grappling Club) showcased his prowess in the 77 kg division. After submitting his fellow countryman and teammate Andrejs Zubanics in the semifinal, Vladimirs went up against the Finnish Benjamin Murto (Bahia Jiu-Jitsu Academy) in the gold round, landing the winning submission in the final moments of the match to stand atop the podium.

Check out the full results here!