AJP Asia Continental: Professionals from all over the world got the gold in Dubai

September 10, 2023

Once again, the ample gym at the Shabab Al Ahli Club, in Dubai, hosted the unstoppable action of the AJP Tour Asian Continental Jiu-Jitsu Championship, this time for professional duels. The luxury warm-up for the Abu Dhabi World Pro Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2023, scheduled for November, showed the strength of local athletes and what the UAE and neighboring nations promise for the coming seasons.

In the highlights this Sunday, September 10th, the black belt stars in the men's division, and brown/black belt for women showed all their strength and dedication, culminating in gold and valuable points in the AJP ranking. Check out who came out on top and the details of the finals below, and for the full results of the competition, click here!

MEN'S GI / BLACK / PROFESSIONAL

62kg: Samat Aitpanbet vs. Sultan Alowais

With the first men's final, in the 62kg division, Sultan took the first initiative and started with pressure from the top. Samat took advantage of the momentum to sweep and take the lead on the scoreboard. Sultan tried to fight back and almost returned the sweep, but Samat imposed his game on top, dove to take the back, and went up, attacking with the choke. Sultan managed to avoid the dangerous attacks, but the Gracie Barra athlete, representing Kazakhstan, prevailed 10 to 4. Victory and gold for Samat Aitpanbet.

69kg: Guthiery Melo vs. Bruno Cabral

Very balanced fight between Guthiery and Bruno for the gold in the 69kg division. With a secure game on top, Guthiery took the lead, rising from the double pull. Bruno made an effort in guard and almost swept in the final seconds, but the score of 2-1 for Guthiery guaranteed the Brazilian's gold in the division.

77kg: Ali Monfaradi vs. Francisco Souza

With refined technique, Ali Monfaradi sought the gold medal to take with him to Bahrain. In the final match, against Francisco Souza, Ali showed his refined deep half-guard game. After a double pull and penalty for both for lack of combativeness, Francisco tried to pass and ended up falling straight into Ali's half-guard, who managed to go up and sweep. With the score 3-1 for Ali, Francisco tried the kimura from the guard and went up for a near takedown, accumulating two points to tie at 3-3 and have the partial victory in his hands. However, Ali returned to half-guard and, with the same position as at the beginning of the fight, swept to take the title with a score of 5-3.

85kg: Andre Cantanhede vs. Jonathan Silva

Another tournament, another gold for the always-active Andre Cantanhede. After winning two fights, André faced Jonatham Silva in the division final. To leave no doubt, André went straight to finish the fight. After the double pull, André grabbed the opponent's foot and stretched it into a footlock to secure the gold.

94kg: Flavio Serafin vs. Lucas Silva

Complete dominance for the experienced Flavio Serafin, who threw himself into the professional bracket and secured the title without leaving any room for his opponents. After winning two battles, Flavio headed towards the final against Lucas Silva. Lucas started the actions by pulling guard, and Flavio soon got to his feet to open.

Reaching the top on half-guard, Flavio tried to take the back and passed guard. Even without mounting, Flavio secured the 6-0 on the scoreboard that earned the black belt the gold medal.

120kg: Rodrigo Ribeiro vs. Ithalo Lopes

Experience and competitive ballast led Rodrigo Ribeiro to another title at AJP. In the final against Ithalo Lopes, the duel started with the double pull and Ithalo rose, taking the lead 1-0. Three rounds of penalties for both sides, due to lack of combativeness, took the duel to 7-6 on points, in favor of Ithalo. To win, it was up to Rodrogio to sweep to turn the score around, and that's what he did in the final minute, leaving the fight at 8-7 to grab another title.

WOMEN'S GI / BROWN / BLACK / PROFESSIONAL

49kg: Diana Teixeira vs. Souq Aldhanhani

Brazilian based in the UAE, Diana Thais Teixeira secured another gold medal for her collection at the Asian Continental. In the final match, against Souq Aldhanhani, Diana took advantage of a gap in Souq's pull to reach the side with the knee on her belly. After advancing to the north-south, she passed once again and attacked the neck with the collar, to strangle and secure the title of the 49kg division.

62kg: Amanda Oliveira vs. Galina Duvanova

Kazakhstan athlete Galina Duvanova shone in the 62kg division. In the final against Amanda Oliveira, Galina started with the lead at the scoreboard when she rose from the double pull, but Amanda quickly swept to make it 2-1. From the bottom, Galina brought danger with her x-guard until she managed to sweep, turning the score to 3-2. Amanda prepared to sweep again, looked at the watch, and took her shot, but Galina avoided the sweep, guaranteeing the points victory and the gold.

70kg: Marian Urdabayeva vs. Yara Kakish

Marian used her strong judo base to get the gold at the 70kg division. In her final against Yara Kakish, Marian started trying to takedown and then pulled guard. When she went up, she made a good move to take Yara down and gained a point. Marian continued with a strong standing pace, but Yara pulled guard this time. After an intense battle for the collars, Yara made her move to sweep and got the inversion, but the referee called Falcon Eye and identified an unintentional grabbing inside the pants. With the scoreboard maintained at 2-0, Marian managed the lead and won the title.

94kg: Rebecca Silva vs. Priscilla Santos

A hectic round-robin determined the champion of the 94kg division. With one victory each, Rebecca Berghan and Priscilla Assunção went to the final to define who would win the gold in the last duel. With an impressive score, Rebecca prevailed 10-2 and secured the title for the AFNT.