Weekend Recap: AJP takes Jiu-Jitsu to the next level with four tournaments

September 25, 2023

While the Africa Continental took over Egypt, AJP made sure that the fires of competition were burning throughout the world. On both days of this weekend, athletes of all ages and graduations rose to the stage set by the organization and showcased the results of their training. Check out below the highlights of each championship!

AJP Tour Caucasus Regional Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2023: Colored belts Tigran Ghazakhyan and Elene Loladze take the absolute titles in Tbilisi

On Saturday, September 23rd, Vere Basketball Palace received a legion of colored belts fighting for their place in the competitive scene. Among the contenders, two fighters rose to prominence in the tournament by conquering the absolute title. Fighting in the Purple Belt Open Lightweight division, Armenian blue belt Tigran Ghazakhyan (Legacy Jiu-Jitsu Armenia) went toe-to-toe against local Irakli Bokuchava (Legion Brazilian Jiu Jitsu), with the former overcoming the latter by a 9-4 score.

Meanwhile, on the women’s side, Georgian blue belt Elene Loladze (Legion Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) also fought at the purple belt level, going up against Israel’s Michal Pivovarchik (Bittan Academy Verrieres). The fight was dominated by Elene from the start, with her landing a 6-0 score before ultimately submitting her opponent and taking the gold.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Curitiba International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2023: Iranslav Neoral, Ariel Silva, and Simone Pinheiro win both weight and absolute in São José dos Pinhais

On Sunday, September 24th, two Brazilian black belts fought hard and took the double gold on the Centro de Esporte e Lazer Max Rosenmann. Iranslav Neoral (Alicerce Jiujitsu) first made his name known in the tournament by tearing through the 77kg division, where he beat Igor Silva (PSLPB Cícero Costha) by 2-1 in the semifinal and Thiago Jesus (Gs Escola de Jiu Jitsu) by submission. With one title already added to his name, Iranslav’s campaign ended in the best possible fashion, at the Open Lightweight division, with a rematch against Thiago Jesus that ended in another victory, this time by 12-2.

Meanwhile, Ariel Silva (G13) was the name to watch out for in the heavier divisions. In the 120kg bracket, Ariel stepped into a round-robin and submitted Pietro Leal (Corinthians Jiu Jitsu) twice to take the title. He then made his way to the Open Heavyweight division, where he first submitted the Paraguayan Carlos Irigoitia (Gracie Barra Legion Asuncion) and then beat Patrick Ortiz (Gracie Barra) via referee’s decision.

Last but certainly not least, Simone Pinheiro (Checkmat International) found no equals in her journey through the Curitiba International. She started in the 95kg bracket, where she submitted teammates Luisa Piucco and Franciele Santos to take her first gold medal. She later found herself in the Open Heavyweight division, where she went up against Iara Grudysz, also from Checkmat International, and used a 6-4 score to rise once again to the podium.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Maceió International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2023: Professional black belts put on a show in Alagoas

On that same Sunday, in an already action-packed tournament in the Ginásio Polisportivo Lautenay Perdigão, the professional black belt category dialed the heat up to eleven with explosive performances and memorable duels. In the 62kg bracket, Gequiel Amorim (Gracie Barra) first submitted Thiago Silva (GFTeam) and then went on to the finals, where a 2-0 score gave him the victory over Manoel Ferrera (Alan Barros Jiu-Jitsu Team) and the title. João Vitor (Gracie Barra) was a force to be reckoned with in the 77kg division, where he submitted Alliance’s Renan Carneiro and Diego Santos to take the top spot of the podium.

Edelson Silva (Kimura) fought only once to take the 120kg division gold, but he made sure to make a spectacle out of it, landing a whooping 16-0 over Genysllan Pereira (MP - Kimura) to become the champion. Finally, on the women's side, Laiana Almeida (Marx Engel Team) left her mark in the 62kg division, where she first submitted Débora Rocha (Sandro Melo Team) and then scored last to beat Mayara Gomes (ZR Team Association).

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Andorra National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2023: Lautaro Sanguineme and Rafaela Rosa submit all opponents in Andorra la Vella

Still, on September 24th, two athletes from different countries stepped into the Centre Esportiu dels Serradells and showed their prowess in the gentle art by submitting every opponent that crossed their paths. Argentine Lautaro Sanguineme (Association Aranha) bulldozed through the 69kg bracket, first beating Joan Pau Soto (Mataró Jiu-Jitsu) in the semifinal and then triumphed over Gabriel Muguet (Familia Andre Marola) to take the gold.

The other highlight rested on the Portuguese shoulders of Rafaela Rosa (Checkmat International), Whose performance in the 62kg division saw her submitting both Anna Pineda (Association Aranha) and, in the gold round, Yasmin Pessanha (Familia Andre Marola) to take her spot atop the podium.

Check out the full results here!