Weekend Recap: AJP hosts six high-octane tournaments around the world

May 3, 2025

Continuing its mission of expanding Jiu-Jitsu beyond borders and giving practitioners worldwide the opportunity to test themselves and hone their skills in a competitive setting, the AJP kept the action going strong as we reached the midpoint of 2025. With six events coming this time around, we have a lot of ground to cover, so fasten your seatbelts, and let's check out the highlights from each championship.

AJP Tour Paraguay National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Helena Romagialli takes the Open Weight title in Asuncion

On Saturday, May 31st, the Paraguay National landed at the National Sports Office to give South American practitioners the chance to compete in their own element while also welcoming foreigners to see the country through the eyes of Jiu-Jitsu.

Coming as the highlight of the competition, the Argentine black belt Helena Romagialli (Nova União International) showed not only technique but also grit as she brushed off a defeat and went on to overcome the most challenging battleground of all: The Open Weight division. Helena's campaign began at the 62kg division, where she entered a bracket with three other competitors and reached the final by submitting the local Natalia Viveros (AMG) halfway through the semis. In the gold round, however, she saw her compatriot and teammate Miranda Galban take and maintain the lead on the scoreboard to take the gold medal.

Unfazed by her stumble in the weight class, Helena steeled her resolve and went back to the mats with her sights set on the Open Lightweight division. With the title on the line, Helena ended up running once again into Natalia Viveros, who was also itching to show her skills in the rematch. But while Natalia did better this time and managed to avoid the submission attacks, Helena's technique was still superior with her techniques and managed to reach the top spot on the podium with a comfortable 5-0 score.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Georgia National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Professional black belts from different countries take the gold in Tbilisi

On that same Saturday, the Vere Basketball Palace in Tbilisi opened its doors to welcome the AJP action with the Georgia National, offering 1000 global ranking points and the much-coveted organization's gold medals for competitors who came to test their skills from all corners of the world.

Globalization, which has been AJP's goal since its beginning, was more visible than ever in the Professional Black Belt brackets, with athletes from different countries showing mastery over their craft and rising to the top of the podium in their respective weight classes. In the 62kg division, the Brazilian Bruno Borges (Abu Dhabi Police Academy) conquered the title after beating Armenia's Rafayel Kostanyan (Legacy Jiu-Jitsu Armenia) by 3-0, while the Georgian Dzhimsher Razmadze (Gojira Jiu-Jitsu) had his skills on full display in his homeland as he got a narrow 4-3 win over Brazil Daniel Effen (Al Jazira Jiu-Jitsu Club) for the 69kg gold. Up on the 120kg division, The Russian Said-Magomed Abubakarov (Brasa Russia) became the champion after submitting both the Iranian Amirabbas Anvari (A3 Academy) and his compatriot Nikolai Starodubtcev (Sative) in back-to-back duels.

Meanwhile, on the No-Gi side, the 69kg division saw the Armenian Rafayel Kostanyan (Legacy Jiu-Jitsu Armenia) brush off his past defeat and rise to the title, outscoring the Australian Tyson Read (Legion Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) by 8-4 in the semi before submitting the Russian Airat Zagidullin (Strela Team) in less than a minute on the final. Last but not least, the Iranian Ali Akbarpour (Antaeus BJJ) dominated the Russian Zelimhan Tavsultanov (Brasa Russia) in the 85kg final, scoring 8-0 before ultimately submitting around the four-minute mark to add another gold medal to his resumé.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Nis International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Masters put on a show to reach the top of the podium in Serbia

Also held on Saturday, the Nis International took over the Sportska hala Mika Antić for another memorable tournament, drawing athletes of all ages and graduations to the AJP mats aiming to put the results of their training to the test against talented competitors from all over the world.

The highlight this time around comes from none other than the Master category, with its black belts taking to the mats and showing their experience as they fought for the coveted gold medal. First, the Master 2 85kg division brought a great campaign by the Russian Anatoly Abramov (Kristin Cestaro Jiu Jitsu Association), who entered a three-man bracket and conquered his first win via submission against Montenegro's Šćepan Drinčić (Samy Al Jamal/Fit Jiu-Jitsu) in the semifinal. The last match saw Anatoly go tooth and nail against the French Guillaume Huni (Kimura BJJ Serbia), not landing another submission but still showing plenty of dominance as he closed the scoreboard at 8-0 at the end of the regulated time.

Not long after, the No-Gi Master 1 85kg division took place and brought back France's Guillaume Huni, who went up against Montenegro's Šćepan Drinčić in a true war for the title. With no successful submission attacks from either side, the duel took up the entirety of the regulated time and saw both athletes mostly locked in a stalemate, with Guillaume securing a deciding point and controlling the match until the clock ran out to become the champion in the bracket.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Mosquera International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Black Belts take the Professional gold in Colombia

Still on Saturday, the Coliseo Nuevo received the Mosquera International and exploded with action as representatives from countries worldwide made their way to the venue with their sights set on the gold and glory of becoming a champion in the AJP.

With powerhouses in all levels of the tournament, the black belts from the Professional category still managed to steal the spotlight as they fought to lead their respective weight classes, showing fans and competitors alike what it takes to compete among the elite of the sport. On the men's side, Ecuador's Enrique Guerrero (Team Predador International) dominated the local Jairo Ortizl (Team FCJJ Colombia) by scoring 14-0 and then submitting in the 69kg final match, while the Brazilian Felipe Oliveira (Commando Group) was just as overpowering when Facing the Colombian Mateo Vanegas (Satori Jiu Jitsu), scoring 11-0 and then submitting to become the 77kg division champion. Up on the 94kg bracket, Brazil's Gabriel Pereira (Rteam) outscored the local Robinson Pertuz (Nagare Brazilian JiuJitsu) by 6-3 to take the top of the podium, The Brazilian Felipe da Silva (Commando Group) landed a whole 18-1 over the Costa Rican Yeffry Rodriguez (Mauro Sergio BJJ) before getting the three taps in the final seconds of the 120kg gold round, and the No-Gi 94kg title went to another Brazilian competitor, with Felipe Oliveira (Commando Group) getting a narrow 2-1 win over the Italian Juan Albarello (Team Predador International).

The action continued on the women's side, with the local Adiana Mejia (Team FCJJ Colombia) outscoring the Ecuadorian Samanta Vaca (Team Predador International) for the 55kg title, the Colombian Madeline Choconta (Team FCJJ Colombia) landing a 5-0 win over her compatriot and teammate Waira Bustos in the 70kg final, and Samanta Vaca, brushing off her past defeat, returning to the mats and submitting Waira Bustos to become the No-Gi 70kg division champion.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Estonia National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Eldar Rafigaev submits his way to the Open Weight gold in Tallinn

On Sunday, June 1st, the Estonia National landed at the Play Arena in Tallinn for an afternoon of competition, calling on warriors from all categories to step up to the mats and bear their skills to become champions in another of the AJP's explosive tournaments.

Cue Eldar Rafigaev, an AJP veteran fighting out of Moldova who joined the competition to lead the Jungle BJJ team to another victory. Well-known around the organization's podiums, Eldar went straight to the Open Heavyweight division this time around, going up against the Latvian Dzintars Lacis (Gracie Barra Brasa Latvia) in an action-packed final. But while his opponent was a talented athlete who had already conquered one gold medal earlier, Eldar had no problems overwhelming Dzintars from the get-go, using his aggressiveness and technical prowess to land seven points and then submit his foe before the first minute of the match to add another title to his extensive resumé.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Central Asia Regional Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Mikhail Kolesnikov and Adilet Kudaibergenov rise as champions in Kyrgyzstan

Also taking place on Sunday, the Central Asia Regional took over the Gymnasium School 29 in Bishkek and gave colored belts from all nationalities the chance to gain valuable experience in their budding careers while also racking up the recognition that can only come from competing in an internationally recognized organization like the AJP.

Highlighting the event, the Russian Professional purple belt Mikhail Kolesnikov (Kristian Cestaro Jiu Jitsu Association) went through a true war against the local Rakhimzhan Mashaev (Kyrgyzstan Top Team) for the 85kg division title. With the duel taking over the entirety of the regulated time, the athletes went at each other with their best techniques but were ultimately unable to land any submission or even a single point to break the stalemate. At the end of it all, it was up to the referees to decide the winner, and they judged that Mikhail was more effective in the duel, giving him the top spot on the podium.

Also shining brightly in the spotlight, The local blue belt Adilet Kudaibergenov (Kyrgyzstan Top Team) showed himself a promising athlete as he entered the Master 1 120kg division and faced his compatriot and teammate Rustam Uulu for the gold medal. Despite coming from the same team as his opponent, Adilet did not take long to get the lead in the scoreboard, landing a 5-1 score and keeping his advantage until around the four-minute mark, when Rustam left himself open and Adilet went in for the kill, submitting his opponent and seizing the title for himself.

Check out the full results here!