AJP Newsletter July 2025: Your Monthly Recap of the Highlights from all over the world

August 1, 2025

Another stellar month has come and gone here at AJP. Coming hot on the heels of the ADGS Istanbul last month, July kept the action going as the tour now landed in Brazil and spiced things up even further with action-packed weekend tournaments all over the globe. Without further ado, let's go over the highlights of July.

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam World Tour Rio de Janeiro 2025: Professionals conquer the ADGS gold in Brazil

Bringing the tour to the tropical landscape of Brazil, the ADGS Rio de Janeiro took over the Arena Carioca 1 between July 19th and 20th to promote memorable battles between athletes of all ages and graduations. With 3000 global ranking points in addition to the coveted Grand Slam gold medal, the competition welcomed the Youths and Amateurs on the first day while clearing the battlefield for the Masters and Professionals on the second day.

With the action high at all times, things got inevitably spicier when the Professional black belts took the stage and started showing their best form as they looked to overcome some of the toughest opponents in the sport to reach the top of their respective weight classes. Starting with the men, Bruno Borges defeated Josue Braga and became the 56kg champion with a 6-4 score, Jhonathan Angelim scored last in a 3-3 tie to overcome Iago Chagas in the 62kg final, and Kevin Gabriel took the 69kg title after outscoring Ricardo Guimarães by 5-2. Lucas Protasio made a comeback and got a narrow 2-1 win over Mateo Ruiz to secure the 77kg gold medal, Uanderson Ferreira got the better of his rival Rui Neto in the last match of the 85kg division, Vinicius Liberati took the top of the podium with a submission over Pedro Silva in the 94kg final, and Felipe Bezerra used his crushing pressure to defeat the dangerous Fellipe Andrew and cement yet another accolade in the 120kg division.

On the women's side, Grasielle Brandão added another gold medal to her collection by beating Leticia Gomes by 3-0, Gabriela Pereira defeated Evellyn Azevedo and took the 55kg title by scoring last in a 3-3 tie, Vitoria Vieira outscored Ana Keyla Queiroz by 5-3 in the 62kg final, Gisele Tavares rose to the top of the podium after a 2-0 win over Giovanna Carneiro in the last match of the 70kg division, and Yara Nascimento once again became champion in the 95kg division by landing a 5-0 score against Luane Carvalho.

AJP Tour Armenia National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Black belts become champions in Yerevan

Landing at the Dynamo Sports Club on July 5th, the Armenia National drew athletes from all over the world to show their skills in the Asian country, with colored and black belts putting their skills to the test to reach the top of the podium.

Highlighting the event, the black belts from the Professional category were overflowing with technique and grit as they clashed for the lead in their weight classes, with Daniel Effen first beating Tyson Read by 7-0 and then landing a 4-1 over the seasoned Bruno Borges to become the 69kg champion. Meanwhile, Ricardo Conceição got a narrow win over William Nozari by 2-1 to take the 85kg division title, and Tyson Read returned to the mats and showed his prowess as he took the No-Gi 69kg gold medal with an astounding 16-0 score over Farzan Sadeghi.

Over on the women's side, the Lara Castro submitted both Lilit Danielyan and Cleide Santos for the 55kg title, and Estela Lima asserted her dominance over the 70kg division in an almost entirely one-sided match against Mariam Gogishvili, taking a comfortable lead in the scoreboard and controlling until the end of the regulated time to become the champion with a 8-0 score.

AJP Tour North China Regional Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Valter Lima and Yefei Zhang take the double gold in Tianjin

Taking place at the Wuqing Sports Center on July 13th, the North China Regional brought the AJP back to Asia and gave local athletes the opportunity to compete without worrying about travel expenses.

Among the many athletes who emerged as champions at the event, Professional brown belts Valter Lima (Irmandade Jiu Jitsu Carlos Lima) and Yefei Zhang (Atrixion Combat Sports) stood out for their impressive performances, each winning their respective weight classes and, more notably, the Black Belt Open Weight divisions. Representing Brazil, Valter Lima began his run in the 62kg category, where he defeated local athlete Daping Fan with a dominant 10-1 score to secure his first gold. He then advanced to the Open Lightweight division, where he overcame fellow Brazilians Jean Colares and Wellington Christiano on his way to the final, in which he defeated the local powerhouse Xiaosong Shi by 5-2 for his second title.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Yefei Zhang kicked off his campaign in the Master 1 category, taking the 94kg title with a whopping 14-0 win over Jiaan Zou. Yefei then entered the Open Heavyweight bracket and continued to display his sharp technique, submitting Brazilian competitor Anthony Eduardo in the semifinal and then showcasing his prowess yet again in the final, dominating his compatriot Weiyi Yu throughout the regulated time and reaching the top of the podium with a 13-2 score.

UPCOMING: Abu Dhabi World Grappling, ADGS Moscow, Nationals, and much more!

Starting this Friday, August 1st, and going all the way to Sunday, August 3rd, the Abu Dhabi World Grappling Championship 2025 is the newest competition in the AJP's roster and comes to give athletes of all backgrounds the chance to represent their grappling martial arts and fight among the best for the top of the podium. The event takes place at the ADNEC Al Ain in the UAE and offers 2000 global ranking points to each of its champions, with the likes of Khaled Alshehhi, Pouya Rahmani, and Pedro Marinho competing for the first-ever ADWG gold medal, so make sure to follow the action live on the TX7.com platform.

The next chapter of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam World Tour is also coming this month, with the AJP's traveling show leaving the Brazilian shores to make landfall in Russia between August 29th and 31st. Held at the Sport Academy Dinamo, the ADGS Moscow is another chance for competitors of all ages and graduations to conquer the coveted ADGS gold medal, with the event also offering 2000 points to help everyone climb the global rankings. With Amateurs and Youths on the first day, Masters and Youths on the second, Professionals on the final day, the tournament is set to be another action-packed addition to the organization's calendar, but contenders looking to participate have only until August 25th to save their spots in the event, so don't waste any time and register now.

The month of August will also feature the usual batch of AJP tournaments that take place during the weekends, with Nationals held in Malaysia between August 2nd and 3rd, and in Singapore on August 17th. Meanwhile, the organization will bring Regionals to Central Paraguay and Andina on August 2nd, and Guayaquil between August 23rd and 24th. Last but not least, the AJP will be hosting Internationals in Merida on August 16th, and in Fujairah between August 22nd and 24th.