Weekend recap: AJP lands in the US, Brazil, Armenia, and Russia with powerful tournaments

April 14, 2025

In one of the busiest weekends of the year so far, the AJP took the action to the next level all over the world. While the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam World Tour hosted memorable battles across three days in the UK, the organization kept to its schedule and hosted another five tournaments in four different countries, with Internationals coming to the US and Brazil while Armenia and Russia opened their doors for Regionals. Without further ado, let's check out the highlights from each championship.

AJP Tour Fort Lauderdale International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Angelo Castillejo takes the Open Weight gold in the US

Taking place at the South Plantation High School on Saturday, April 12th, the Fort Lauderdale International welcomed athletes from all corners of the world to show their skills and rack up important points in the final stretch of the 2024-2025 season.

Representing the Fight Sports team, the Peruvian black belt Angelo Castillejo joined the competition in the Professional category and showcased his technical prowess as he conquered the ever-challenging Open Weight division. An AJP veteran with medals conquered in last year's ADGS Dallas and North America Continental, Angelo started off this event by taking the silver medal in the 85kg division, quickly brushing off the defeat in the weight class' final match to make his way into the Open Heavyweight division. Entering a three-man bracket with two experienced Brazilian contenders, Angelo faced a pretty challenging battle from the get-go, taking his first win via decision over Leonardo Guimarães (GFTeam). In the gold round, Felipe Porto (MOD UAE) stood ready to take the title for himself, but Angelo unleashed his Jiu-Jitsu and landed a winning submission to assert himself as the champion.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Recife International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: João Barbosa, Washington Sebastião, and Vanessa Ribeiro submit their way to the title in Brazil

On Sunday, April 13th, the Recife International landed at the Ginásio Geraldão in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco and brought 12 fight areas to make sure that any athlete, regardless of age and graduation, would have the chance to hone their skills and show the results of their training while seeking to become an AJP champion.

Among the many talented warriors that left their mark on those mats, three Professional black belts managed to stand out from their peers as they showcased their techniques and reached the top spot on the podium by submitting all opponents. Starting with the men, João Barbosa (Ubuntu Jiu Jitsu Oficial) was the name to look out for in the 77kg division as the black belt opened his campaign by submitting Mateus Carmo (MG Team) in the first few minutes of the semifinal. For his last match, João went up against Augusto Alves (Checkmat International) and once again impressed the attending crowd as he quickly got the three taps and cemented his position as division champion.

Another heavy hitter in the competition was Washington Sebastião (Okttopus BJJ), who used his experience and knowledge to take over the 120kg division. Fighting in a three-man bracket, Washington completely dominated João Cavalcanti (BFC) in the semifinal and managed to score 16 points before locking the winning submission around the four-minute mark. The gold round saw Washington going up against his teammate Jose Braga, but the former's skills once again proved absolute as he overwhelmed the latter and submitted yet again to claim the title.

Last but not least, on the women's side, the GFTeam representative Vanessa Ribeiro reached the top of the 62kg division after a very challenging duel. Up against Eduarda Macena (Campeões do Amanhã) in the final, Vanessa had to use every tool in her arsenal throughout the match and held an unsteady advantage over her opponent with a 4-2 score. At the last minute of the bout, however, opportunity reared its head and Vanessa did not let it pass by, quickly locking the submission and conquering the gold medal.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Curitiba International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Marcelo Pereira and Henrique Lima become double champions in Brazil

Continuing in the South American country of Brazil on Sunday, the AJP also brought about the Curitiba International to the Ginásio da PUCPR in the state of Paraná, gifting the locals with another chance to sharpen their techniques through competition while also giving foreigners the chance to see the country through the lens of Jiu-Jitsu.

Highlighting the tournament, two Professional black belts went above and beyond expectations with their performances and conquered the coveted double gold in their homeland. The first one is Marcelo Pereira (Brazilian TKO), who started his campaign in the 77kg division and racked up three wins on his way to the title, beating Rafael Campos (Gracie Barra) in the quarterfinal by 3-0, Bruno Oliveira (Rilion Gracie) in the semis by scoring last in a 2-2 tie, and Vyctor Buzatto (Commando Group) in the final with a narrow 3-2 score. Still hungry for more, Marcelo joined the Open Lightweight division looking for his second trip to the top of the podium and once again ran into Vyctor Buzatto, once again overcoming his opponent with a 3-2 score to reign over the bracket.

The other talent who rose to prominence in the competition was Henrique Lima (Checkmat International), starting with his performance in the 94kg division as he first submitted Juliano Ganem (Guigo Jiu Jitsu) in the semifinal and then made it into the gold round to outscore Jhonathan Machado (Sapo Grappling Team) by 7-2 to take his first gold medal. Later on, Henrique found his way back to the mats and entered the Open Heavyweight bracket, immediately running into Jhonathan Machado for the second time and claiming victory with a narrow 1-0 score. In the final, Henrique went up against the 120kg division silver medalist Marcos Senabio (Kronos BJJ Australia) and once again shined with his Jiu-Jitsu, seizing the lead on the scoreboard and controlling the flow of the match to come out on top with a 4-0 score.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Kavkaz Regional Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Tamerlan Eslemesov takes the double gold in Armenia

Also on Sunday, the Kavkaz Regional landed at the Dynamo Sports Club in the Armenian capital of Yerevan for an entire day of competition, giving colored and black belts from all corners of the planet another chance to test themselves and earn valuable points to climb the global rankings.

With many athletes rising as champions across the four fight areas, the highlight of the tournament was the Russian Tamerlan Eslemesov (Top Team Fight Club), currently ranked #1 in the men's black belt global rankings with and without the gi for the Professional category who also took the double gold at the competition. Tamerlan's journey began in the 120kg division as he faced the Iranian Amirabbas Anvari (A3 Academy) in the final, showcasing his skills as he landed point after point while giving his opponent no chance to do the same and taking the title with a 6-0 score.

Not long after, Tamerlan returned to the battlefield and entered the No-Gi 94kg division to face the Polish Pawel Kozlowski (Gremlin Jiu Jitsu) for the gold. Even more dangerous this time around, Tamerlan was dominant from beginning to end and had the fight all planned out as he first scored 3-0 and then locked a winning submission halfway through the regulated time to secure his second trip to the top of the podium.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Siberia Regional Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Konstantin Tevs rises as a double champion in Russia

Still on Sunday, the Siberia Regional took over the Sport Complex "SEVER" in the Russian city of Novosibirsk to give local athletes the chance to test themselves in the competitive mats and conquer the gold while spending less on travel.

Cue Konstantin Tevs, a Professional black belt and Strela Team representative who had his skills on full display as he conquered the double gold in his homeland and showed his less experienced peers what it takes to compete at the highest level of the sport. After taking the silver medal in the 85kg division, Konstantin made his way back to the mats and entered the No-Gi 85kg division with his sights set on the gold, taking the title after submitting his teammate Dmitriy Shikhanov in the semis and then outscoring Daud Adaev (Checkmat International) by 3-1.

Still itching for more, Konstantin stepped up to the battlefield once again and joined the Open Heavyweight division, taking his first win in the bracket by scoring last in a 2-2 tie against Egor Ignatov (Commando Group). Up against his teammate Dmitry Kulkov in the gold round, Konstantin once again unleashed his Jiu-Jitsu and used every tool in his arsenal throughout the regulated time, taking the victory with a 6-0 score to climb the podium for the second time.

Check out the full results here!