Weekend recap: five tournaments keep the action going around the world

September 16, 2024

While the Asia Continental attracted fight fans and athletes to the famous Mubadala Arena, the AJP decided to give everyone a chance to compete during the weekend, hosting no less than five other competitions worldwide. Between Nationals, Regionals, and Internationals, we have a lot of ground to cover, so without further ado, let's check out the highlights from each championship.

AJP Tour Latvia National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Eldar Rafigaev takes the gold in Sigulda

Starting on Saturday, September 14th, the Latvia National took over the Sigulda Sports Centre and opened its doors for athletes of all ages and graduations, drawing many warriors with the promise of gold medals and 1000 ranking points for each champion.

Coming as the competition's highlight, the Moldovan black belt Eldar Rafigaev (Jungle BJJ) had his skills on full display as he conquered his weight division. Entering a three-man bracket in the 120kg division, Eldar first went up against the local Dmitrijs Anisko (Gracie Barra Brasa Latvia) in a one-sided battle that saw the foreigner landing 18-0 over his opponent before ultimately submitting to advance to the final.

In the gold round, Eldar went up against Marius Rudnickas (Roger Gracie Academy Klaipeda Pagrindine), a Lithuanian competitor who got his spot in the final round by landing a submission on Dmitrijs Anisko before the two-minute mark. The ensuing match took up the entirety of the regulated time, with no submissions this time around. But despite his opponent's defenses, Eldar once again seized control of the fight and maintained it until the clock ran out, scoring multiple times while giving Marius no chance of doing the same. At the end of it all, an 8-0 score gave Eldar his second victory and the title in the competition.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Bashkortostan Regional Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Nikita Romanov and Danil Poterya take the Professional gold in Russia

On that same Saturday, the city of UFA opened the doors of the Sports Training Center of the Republic of Bashkortostan for AJP athletes of all backgrounds seeking to improve their skills and taste the glory of being a champion in the organization.

Standing as the highlights of the competition, the Russian colored belts Nikita Romanov (Gracie Barra International) and Danil Poterya (Lion Academy) used their prowess to put on amazing performances and conquer their respective weight classes in the Professional category. Starting in the Brown Belt 77kg division, Nikita showcased his dominance as he went up against his compatriot Andrei Grebeniuk (Gojira Jiu-Jitsu) in a brief match. After scoring 2-0 in the opening seconds of the duel, Nikita pressed the attack and managed to land the winning submission in less than a minute.

Meanwhile, in the Purple Belt 94kg division, another battle of Russians as Danil Poterya went toe-to-toe against Rustem Abdullin (Jungle BJJ). With no submissions from either side, the duel took up the entirety of the regulated time and saw Rustem manage to score a few times, but Danil's superiority here was plain to see as the athlete scored multiple times and closed the match with a sound 12-3 score to take the title in his homeland.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Jakarta International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Colored belts paint a promising future for Jiu-Jitsu in Indonesia

Still on Saturday, the Beacon Academy International School Jakarta was the whetstone upon which colored belts of all ages would sharpen themselves to take their next successful steps in the Jiu-Jitsu competitive scene.

With only blue belts on the Amateur side, the local Bilyartha Santoso (Gracie Barra South Jakarta) submitted twice to take the 69kg title, while the Indonesian Melvin Wiryadi (GFTeam) conquered the 77kg gold after beating his compatriot and teammate Grady Ace with a narrow 5-4 score. Another local shining in the AJP mats, Aditya Ardiani (Alliance) scored 6-2 over the Vietnamese Loan Le (Gisdio) to become the champion in the women's 55kg division.

Moving on to the Master category, another battle between Indonesia and Vietnam took place as the local purple belt Muhammad Heddir (Checkmat International) overcame Dinh Duong Dang (Gisdio) with a 6-1 score to take the title in the Master 1 69kg division. In the Master 1 120kg bracket, the Indonesian blue belt Fadhlan Mustaqim (Gracie Barra South Jakarta) landed a 9-1 win over the Russian Nikolay Frantsuzhan (Woven Jiu Jitsu). Last but not least, the American blue belt Patrick Panjeti (Gracie Barra South Jakarta) outscored the UK's Mark Fenton (Alliance) and then submitted the local Mohammad Simatupang (Alliance) to become the Master 2 94kg division champion.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Córdoba International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Ramiro Galvan submits his way to the double gold in Argentina

Another competition taking place this Saturday was the Córdoba International, a tournament that drew athletes of all ages and graduations to the Hindú Club Sarmiento as they strived to show the results of their training in the AJP mats.

Showcasing the might of the Argentine Jiu-Jitsu, the local Ramiro Galvan (GFTeam) went above and beyond with his performance, submitting all his opponents to take the coveted double gold in his homeland. His journey began in the 120kg division, where he had to face his compatriot Nahuel Sarmiento (Nova União Internacional) for the title. Despite being a skilled black belt, Nahuel had a hard time standing his ground against Ramiro, who managed to score 8-0 before getting the submission around the three-minute mark.

With one gold medal already resting on his shoulders, Ramiro made his way back to the battlefield later to fight for the Open Heavyweight title. Facing another Argentine competitor, Ramiro went toe-to-toe with Javier Mondino (Checkmat International) in the final match, and once again his skillset shined as he overwhelmed his opponent, scored 5-0, and then got the three taps with less than two minutes on the clock. The victory landed Ramiro once again atop the podium, closing an impeccable campaign with great honors.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour South Angola Regional Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Ricardo Brito and Edney Pascoal conquer the professional gold in Lubango

Moving on to Sunday, September 16th, the South Angola Regional landed at the Multipurpose Pavilion of Lubango with three fight areas and a whole lot of competitors hungry to show just how talented they are.

Fighting in the Professional category, two athletes used their prowess in the gentle art to stand out among their peers. Hailing from Cape Verde, the black belt Ricardo Brito had his Jiu-Jitsu on full display at the South Angola Regional. Facing the local Luís Silvestre (Gracie Barra Angola), Ricardo unleashed his game upon his opponent, who was unable to stand the pressure and fell to a submission in the gold round.

Meanwhile, the local brown belt Edney Pascoal (Gracie Barra Angola) dominated the 94 kg division final. Up against his compatriot Justino Branco (2 Brothers BFC), Edney let his Jiu-Jitsu do the talking and quickly overwhelmed his opponent, scoring 6-0 before ultimately submitting with less than two minutes on the clock.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Brasilia International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Andre Ferreira and Bruna Farah fight for the double gold in Brazil

Also taking place on Sunday, the Brasilia International took over the Clube da Portuguesa for an entire afternoon of competition, bringing seven areas packed to the brim with ambitious contenders vying for the chance to become champions in the AJP.

Among the many competitors attending the tournament, two Barreto Jiu-Jitsu black belts from the Professional category proved to be the cream of the crop as they conquered the gold medal in their weight classes and the Open Weight division.

On the men's side, Andre Ferreira started his campaign in the 94kg division, facing Pablo Corte (Wd Team) for the title. Pablo had a hard time stopping Andre's advances, with the latter using his pressure to score multiple times before submitting at the four-minute mark. Andre later found his way back to the mats, outscoring Bruno Alves (Six Blades Jiu-Jitsu) by 17-2 in the semifinal and then beating his teammate Guilherme Santos via the referee's decision to take the Open Heavyweight gold medal.

On the women's side, Bruna Farah was unstoppable in both brackets she took part in. Her first stop was at the 95kg division, in which she took the gold after submitting Ketlen Silva (CJJ) around the one-minute mark of the final. Later on, Bruna joined the Open Heavyweight bracket, beating Claudiane Costa (GFTeam) by 7-0 and then submitting Ludmila Lopes (Juquinha) to make her second trip to the top of the podium.

Check out the full results here!