Weekend Recap: Peru, Germany, and Kazakhstan join AJP and host stellar competitions

September 9, 2024

The mission of increasing the reach and influence of Jiu-Jitsu in the modern world continues to be the main focus of the AJP, and that commitment is plain to see in the weekly batch of tournaments the organization pumps out around the globe. This weekend, the three countries chosen to host the action were Peru, Germany, and Kazakhstan, with the two first ones bringing Nationals while the latter promoted a Regional in the city of Almaty. Without further ado, let's check out the highlights from each championship!

AJP Tour Peru National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Nicolas Whittembury, Enrique Guerrero, and Bruno Carrillo become Open Weight champions in Lima

Taking place on both days of the weekend, the Peru National took over the Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola and welcomed competitors of all ages and graduations to fight for gold and glory in the South American country.

With the first day bringing gi matches and the second one largely occupied by no-gi duels, colored and black belts of all levels put on their best performances in hopes of conquering the sweet prize of 1000 ranking points, with three Professional black belts taking the spotlight as they conquered the most challenging battlegrounds of all: The Open Weight divisions.

Starting in the gi, the local Nicolas Whittembury (Guigo Jiu Jitsu) submitted his way to the final in the Open Heavyweight division, tapping Adrian Almeida (Predador) in the quarters and Romel Castro (Predador) in the semis to face and defeat his Brazilian teammate Gabriel Costa by 2-0. Meanwhile, in the Open Lightweight bracket, Ecuadorian teammates Enrique Guerrero and Paul Salazar went up against one another for the title, putting their training sessions at Predador to the test in the AJP mats. But while the competitors came from the same team, Enrique quickly showed the attending crowd that he had the upper hand, scoring 2-0 before submitting Paul around the three-minute mark to take the gold.

On the following day, the Peruvian Bruno Carrillo (JFC Almeida JJ) went toe-to-toe against the Ecuadorian Carlos Ruiz (Predador) for the Open Lightweight division title. The match was very well-balanced and took up the entirety of the regulated time, with Bruno coming out on top by a narrow 4-3 score to take his place atop the podium.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Germany National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Melanie Bauer keeps the double gold in Hamburg

On Sunday, September 8th, the Germany National landed at the Sporthalle Wandsbek for an afternoon of competition, putting local and foreign athletes to face each other for the gold. From the youngest rookies to the most seasoned warriors, every athlete was welcome to show their skills at the tournament and become an AJP champion.

Among the highlights, the local Melanie Bauer (German Top Team) was a standout as she conquered the 70kg weight class twice to take home the coveted double gold. Starting in the gi, Melanie first went up against Brazil's Raquel Santos (M.O.D UAE) in the division's semifinal and quickly took control of the match, scoring 6-2 before ultimately submitting in the last minute of the duel. In the gold round, Melanie faced her compatriot Sabrina Gaube (Gracie Barra Hamburg) in a match that, despite taking up the entirety of the regulated time, was pretty much a one-sided show, with the former scoring a whopping 13-0 and taking her spot atop the podium.

With one gold medal conquered, Melanie still had some fight left in her, so she made her way to the no-gi 70kg division to try and conquer another gold. Standing across from her on the battlefield, Sabrina Gaube was ready for a rematch and this time gave Melanie a harder time as she quickly found her footing and scored twice against her opponent. However, Melanie still proved to be too much for Sabrina and scored 5-2 to overcome the last hurdle between her and a second title.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Almaty Regional Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Samat Aitpanbet takes the Professional gold in Kazakhstan

Also on Sunday, the Spetsializirovannaya Shkola Vysshego Sportivnogo Masterstva opened its doors for the Almaty Regional, a tournament that drew colored belts of all ages to its mats. Among the many rookies that stood on that battlefield, the local Professional black belt Samat Aitpanbet (Samat Ramazanov academy) had to overcome his weight division with the added pressure of putting on an even greater show for the younger peers that would undoubtedly be watching.

Showing amazing technical prowess and grit, Samat rose to the challenge in the 69kg division. Facing an opponent with the same name, Samat Aitpanbet went up against Samat Kunayev in a five-minute match for the gold. While there were no submissions, the duel leaned heavily towards Aitpanbet, who unleashed his game and scored 12-4 to take his place atop the podium while showing the young'uns what a fight at the highest level looks like.

Check out the full results here!