Weekend recap: AJP heads to the US and Ukraine with stellar competitions

March 10, 2025

The action never stops here at AJP, and the organization continues to pursue its goals of spreading the benefits of Jiu-Jitsu and giving athletes the means to live off the sport. With two tournaments held last Saturday, March 8th, the AJP brought its mats to promote Internationals in the US and Ukraine, bringing memorable moments alongside high-octane battles. Without further ado, let's check out the highlights from each championship.

AJP Tour Abilene International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Thiago Macedo and Lucio Curado take the gold in the US

Taking place in the American state of Texas, the Abilene International took over the Dodge Jones Youth Sports Center on Saturday, March 8th, and welcomed talented colored and black belts to show their prowess as they tested their hard-earned skills against talented opponents and sought the top spot on the podium to become champions in the organization.

Highlighting the tournament, two black belts went all out in the race for the gold and provided the attending crowd as well as their younger peers with a glimpse into the technical level required to compete at the top of the competitive food chain. Starting in the Professional 77kg division, the American powerhouse Thiago Macedo (Rodrigo Pinheiro Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) added another title to his extensive resumé after defeating the Brazilian Roniel Costa (Seeds 13 Jiu Jitsu). The duel took the entirety of the regulated time, with Thiago scoring multiple times while giving his opponent no chance to do the same and closing the scoreboard at 7-0 to become the champion.

Later on, in the Master 1 No-Gi 85kg division, the Brazilian Lucio Curado (Seeds 13 Jiu Jitsu) overcame two adversaries on his way to the top of the podium. Starting in the semifinal, Lucio first faced the Mexican Luis Benavides (Carlson Gracie Team) and used his technical prowess to quickly overwhelm and submit his first opponent around the one-minute mark. In the gold round, Lucio went toe-to-toe with his teammate Roniel Costa for the title, once again unleashing his Jiu-Jitsu and landing another submission to conquer the division gold.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Mykolaiv International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Ivan Lukyanenko submits his way to a double gold in Ukraine

On that same Saturday, the Mykolaiv International set up three fight areas at the Nadiya, opening the venue's doors for athletes of all ages and graduations with the promise of gold, glory, and 600 global ranking points for each of the tournament's champions.

Cue Ivan Lukyanenko, a local 19-year-old brown belt representing Southside Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Europe highlighted the competition with his double gold campaign. Starting in the 85kg division with only Ukrainian competitors, Ivan opened the bracket by dominating Konstantin Kropivka (Checkmat International) in the semifinal, landing 11-0 before ultimately submitting around the three-minute mark. In the final match, Ivan went up against Serhii Hlotov (Yamasaki Academy) in a challenging duel, staying locked in a stalemate until the latter half of the duel before finding enough room to land the winning submission and take the title.

Later on, Ivan made his way back to the mats and entered the No-Gi 85kg division, joining another three-man bracket with Konstantin and Serhii. Opening the bracket yet again, Ivan got his first win by submitting Serhii Hlotov, who faced Konstantin in the following bout and got a submission of his own, making the final a rematch against Ivan. But while Serhii's talent cannot be denied, Ivan once again had the upper hand, using his technical know-how and aggressive game to overwhelm his opponent and lock his fourth submission in the tournament. With another victory to his name, Ivan Lukyanenko emerged from the competition as a double champion.

Check out the full results here!