Weekend Recap: AJP dials up the action with six tournaments around the world

March 25, 2024

Bringing another batch of stellar tournaments, the AJP has once again promoted an action-packed weekend, giving athletes from all over the world the chance to compete in an internationally recognized organization as they tested their skills. This time around, six competitions took place between Saturday and Sunday, so let's check out the highlights from each championship!

AJP Tour China National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Mongoljin Ganbaatar takes the triple gold in Beijing

On both days of the weekend, the China National landed at the Shougang Industrial Park Curling Hall and welcomed athletes from all corners of the world to fight for gold and glory in the organization. While local athletes had many triumphs during the tournament, Mongolia’s Mongoljin Ganbaatar (Garuda Jiu-Jitsu Academy) was a standout as she overcame every opponent that crossed her path and conquered the Professional triple gold.

Her campaign began at the 62kg division, in which she submitted the Chinese Yuan Zhou (Gracie Barra) twice to get her first gold medal. A couple of hours later, she returned to the mats, aiming to conquer the 62kg division without the gi. In the semis, Mongoljin submitted the local Jingjing Zhang (GFTeam) to advance to the final, where she dominated a rematch against Yuan Zhou and scored 22-0 before closing the duel with a submission.

Still hungry for more, Mongoljin put on her gi one last time and made her way to the Open Heavyweight division. Her first duel was against Jiedan Xu (Chengdu BJJ / CDBJJ) and, despite not submitting this time, she controlled the match from beginning to end, closing the duel with a 13-0 score. In the gold round, Mongoljin had yet another run-in with Yuan Zhou, but this time things were different, as the latter held her own and did not give the foreign athlete any chance to land a submission. Keeping her cool, Mongoljin managed to take the win yet again, this time by a 5-3 score.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Ural Regional Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Alexander Redvanov keeps the absolute gold in Russia

On Saturday, March 23rd, the Rodina Sports Palace was the battlefield that received colored and black belts of all ages to show the results of their training as they sought the points needed to climb the AJP rankings. Cue Alexander Redvanov, a Professional black belt from Russia representing Gojira Jiu-Jitsu in his homeland. With his technical know-how, Alexander entered the Open Heavyweight division and overcame every opponent as he walked the path to the gold.

In a Russian-only bracket, Alexander started by outscoring Iurii Ermakov (ZR Team Association) by 12-0, moving on to the quarters and then beating Ignatiy Bufeev (Strela Team) with a narrow 3-2 score. In the semifinal, Alexander made quick work of Egor Ignatov, going full throttle from the get-go and landing a submission with less than a minute on the clock. Keeping his momentum, Alexander quickly seized control of the final match, which saw him going up against his teammate Vladimir Blium, and scored multiple times before ultimately submitting to take the gold.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Lithuania National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Krzysztof Suchorabski and Igor Dziag conquer the professional gold in Kaunas

On that same Saturday, the Kaunas Basketball School "Zalgiris" opened its doors for the AJP mats and the competitors who came from all over the world to pursue the title of champion within the organization. Among the many contenders who rose to the top of the podium in the tournament, two Professional athletes from Poland stood out by displaying their skills and knowledge of Jiu-Jitsu as they conquered the gold medal in their respective weight divisions.

First, the black belt Krzysztof Suchorabski (Copacabana Fight Club) fought in the gi to take the 94kg division title. Standing ready to spoil Krzysztof’s plans, the UK’s David Cartwright also made his way into the bracket, and both athletes left their hearts on the mat as they measured their skills against one another. The match was well-balanced and took up the entirety of the regulated time, with both sides dishing out attacks and counterattacks without actually scoring most of the time. When the clock ran out, Krzysztof rose as the champion with a narrow 1-0 score.

Meanwhile, in the Brown Belt category, Igor Dziag made waves as he conquered the double gold. Facing the local Matas Stebuliauskas (Roger Gracie Academy) in the 85kg division, Igor spent the first few minutes measuring up his opponent, but it wasn’t long before he locked the winning submission and took the title. Later on, Igor returned to fight for the 85kg bracket, this time fighting without the gi. Matas was once again his opponent and, much like their first duel, Igor took the strategic approach and sized up his opponent before going in for the proverbial kill, ending matters with another well-placed submission.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Serbia National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Black belts Boris Tonev and Zafeiria Panagiotarakou take the Professional gold in Nis

Another tournament held on March 23rd, the Serbia National landed at the Sportska hala Mika Antić and proceeded to pit colored and black belts against one another, giving each and every one of the warriors in the arena the chance to earn the title of AJP champion. And while many did rise to the title, two Professional black belts stood out from their peers with deft displays of technique as they conquered the gold at the event.

Fighting without the gi in the 94kg division, the Bulgarian Boris Tonev (Brasa CTA) thoroughly dominated his opponent to take the title. Facing North Macedonia’s Perica Petrovikj (Enso Jiu Jitsu), Boris went all out and unleashed his Jiu-Jitsu during almost all of the regulated time, scoring a 19-0 before submitting in the final seconds of the bout.

Meanwhile, the Greek Zafeiria Panagiotarakou (Checkmat International) earned her gold medal after two intense matches in the 62kg division. Clad in her gi, Zaiferia first faced the local Biljana Radosavljevic (Kimura BJJ Serbia), taking the win by 9-0 and advancing to the final. The gold round was fought against the Bulgarian Violeta Angelova (Bruno Bastos Jiu-Jitsu Association) and the battle was as balanced as it can be, taking up the regulated time and then going for another minute of overtime. When the clock ran out, the referees judged that Zaiferia had been more effective throughout the duel and gave her the title.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Paraguay National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Professional black belts submit their way to the gold in Asuncion

Still on Saturday, the SND Arena in Asuncion welcomed athletes of all ages and graduations to fight for gold, glory, and ranking points at the Paraguay International. The attending crowd was in for a treat, as the competitors showed their best performances while seeking the top of the podium, but three athletes in the Professional Black Belt category went above and beyond by submitting every opponent that stood between them and the title of champion.

In the 69kg division, the Argentine Gonzalo Argañaraz (Nova União International) conquered the title after two battles. First, he overcame Ecuador’s Enrique Guerrero (Apex EC Jiu-Jitsu) with less than a minute on the clock and then he beat the Chilean Guilherme Ribeiro (Checkmat International) to take the gold. Meanwhile, Brazil’s Matheus da Silva (Hunters Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) dominated the 77kg bracket by submitting the local Nicolas Kallsen (Checkmat International) in the semis and then Argentina’s Joaquin Rodriguez (Nova União International) in the final.

Last but not least, the Brazilian Yara Nascimento (Fratres Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) seized the 95kg division gold after dominating the local athlete Estela Muñoz (Delariva Paraguay) for almost the entirety of the regulated time, landing a submission after scoring 15-1 in the final round to take her rightful spot atop the podium.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Luanda International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Local black belts fight tooth and nail for the gold in Angola

On Sunday, March 24th, the Clube Ferroviário de Luanda became the stage upon which colored and black belts would show their skills while fighting for the gold. Athletes from all over the world were more than welcome to show their Jiu-Jitsu here, but the locals completely took over the tournament, amazing the attending crowd with their performances as they rose to the top of the podium.

Such was the case of the black belt Marcelo Gomes (Z1 Academy), who joined the 62kg division and overcame both of his opponents to take the title. He first went up against Manuel Fontes (GFTeam) in a tough match that took up the five minutes of regulated time and ended in his favor by the referee’s decision. In the final, Marcelo faced Virgilio Carvalho (ZR Team Association) and almost immediately took control of the duel, offering his opponent no quarter while he scored repeatedly before submitting to take the gold.

Another competitor who shone at the tournament was the brown belt Otchivela Catanha (Academia CP). Facing Rosangela Teixeira (Z1 Academy) for the title, Otchivela wasted no time and went full gear from the get-go, completely overwhelming her opponent and landing the winning submission with little over a minute on the clock.

Check out the full results here!