Weekend Recap: AJP heads to Armenia and Brazil with high-end tournaments

July 7, 2025

Another weekend and another batch of competitions coming from AJP to countries all over the world, with athletes of all ages and graduations being welcomed to test themselves and take their Jiu-Jitsu to the next level. This time around, the organization visited two countries, bringing a National to Armenia and a Regional Brazil, so fasten your seatbelts, and let's check out the highlights from each championship.

AJP Tour Armenia National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Black belts take the gold in Yerevan

On Saturday, July 5th, the Dynamo Sports Club opened its doors and brought the AJP action with the Armenia National, drawing athletes from all over the world to compete for gold and glory while also looking to earn the 1000 global ranking points reserved for each of the champions.

Highlighting the competition, the Professional Black Belt category stepped up to the mats ready to put on another show as they used their technical prowess and grit to reach the top of the podium. Starting with the men, the 69kg division title went to the Brazilian Daniel Effen (Al Jazira Jiu-Jitsu Club), who first overcame the Australian Tyson Read (Legion Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) in the semifinal by 7-0 and then outscored his compatriot Bruno Borges (Abu Dhabi Police Academy) by 4-1 to become the champion. Up in the 85kg division, Brazil's Ricardo Conceição (Al Wahda Club Jiu-Jitsu Academy) faced William Nozari (MOD UAE) in a very balanced final, narrowly taking the win with a 2-1 score. Lastly, in the No-Gi 69kg division, the Aussie Tyson Read (Legion Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) returned to the battlefield and landed a whopping 16-0 score over the Iranian Farzan Sadeghi (GFTeam) to take the gold medal.

On the women's side, the Brazilian Lara Castro (MOD UAE) became the champion after dominating the 55kg division, first submitting the local Lilit Danielyan (Legacy Jiu-Jitsu Armenia) in the latter half of the semifinal and then locking another winning submission over her compatriot Cleide Santos (Infight Brazil) in the first few minutes of the gold round. On the 70kg division, the Brazil representative Estela Lima (MOD UAE) showcased her technique and control as she faced the Georgian Mariam Gogishvili (JTSU Academy), quickly taking the lead on the scoreboard and landing multiple points to take the top spot on the podium with an 8-0 score.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour North East Brazil Regional Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Professionals rise as champions in Natal

Bringing the action to the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte on Sunday, July 6th, the North East Brazil Regional took over the Ginásio Nelio Dias in Natal and filled 9 fight areas with competitors of all ages and backgrounds fighting tooth and nail for the coveted AJP gold medal.

Coming as one of the most awaited groups of the event, the Professional category once again brought a standout show to the organization's mats, with its black belts showing the world what it takes to compete at the highest level in the sport. On the men's side, Guilherme Cordeiro (Ubuntu Jiu Jitsu Oficial) took the 62kg title after beating Railson Santos (Nação Kioto) with an 8-2 score, while Rubens Queiroz (Hope Jiu Jitsu) beat two opponents before submitting Jonathan Souza (Commando Group) for the 69kg gold. Erick Chaves (Commando Group) landed a lightning-fast submission over Gabriel Melo (GFTeam) on the 77kg final, Wilker Lima (Commando Group) outscored Santiago Heitor (Checkmat International) to become the 85kg division champion, and Macksuel Maciel (Checkmat International) got a narrow 4-3 win over Carlos Pereira (Commando Group) for the 94kg title. In the 120kg division final, Rickson Azevedo (Commando Group) overwhelmed his teammate João Paulo and got the three taps with less than 30 seconds on the clock, and Lucas Bezerril (Gracie Barra) scored 3-0 against Gabriel Melo (GFTeam) to reign over the No-Gi 77kg division.

Moving on to the women, Maria Silva (Valdenio JiuJitsu) got a narrow 2-1 win over Ingrid Accioly (Gracie Barra) for the 55kg title, Brunna Medeiros (Commando Group) scored 10-0 before ultimately submitting Iasmin Macena (Gracie Barra) in the 62kg final, Beatriz Mendonça (Bravos FT) outscored Mariana Sales (Pitbull Brothers) by 4-2 to take the 70kg gold, and Jeane Pinto (CT UBT) submitted both Rafaela Cirne (Commando Group) and Maria Nascimento (Nova União International) to become the 95kg division champion.

Check out the full results here!