Weekend Recap: AJP brings high-octane events to Romania, the Netherlands, Brazil, and Italy

June 30, 2025

Another busy weekend here at AJP, with athletes all over the world getting the chance to test their skills and hone their techniques while fighting for gold and glory in new and exciting countries. This time around, the organization ramped up the action by bringing Nationals to Romania and the Netherlands, while also hosting Internationals in Brazil and Italy. Without further ado, let's check out the highlights from each championship!

AJP Tour Romania National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Gross Erik and Gembi Juniku take the Professional gold in Brasov

Held on both days of the weekend at the Dumitru Popescu Colibași Sports Hall in Brasov, the Romania National gave athletes from all over the world the chance to visit the European country and see its many beauties through the eyes of Jiu-Jitsu.

Highlighting the first day of the competition, the local Professional brown belt Gross Erik (FG Academy Targu Mures) fought two battles and conquered the 94kg division gold. Starting in the semifinal, Erik went up against the Bulgarian Ivan Rusev (Bruno Bastos Jiu-Jitsu Association) and had his technical prowess on full display, being in control from start to finish and advancing to the final with a sound 9-2 score. In the last match, Erik found himself face-to-face with his compatriot Mustatea Alex (Icon Romania) and went through a very tough duel that took up the entirety of the regulated time and the Golden Score. At the end of it all, the judges decided that Erik had been the most effective throughout the bout and gave him the top spot on the podium.

On the following day, the Kosovar brown belt Gembi Juniku joined the No-Gi 85kg division and faced the Romanian Mustatea Alex (Icon Romania) for the title. With the athletes going all-out for the title, the duel saw both sides score multiple times before being locked in a stalemate until the clock ran out. Following the AJP rules, whoever scores last is deemed the winner, and so Gembi came out on top and became the champion in the tournament.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Netherlands National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Jan Van Haperen and Odair Cavalcanti become champions in Almere

On Saturday, June 28th, the Netherlands National landed at the Topsport Center Almere for an afternoon of high-level competition between athletes of all ages and graduations.

Among the many competitors that rose to the top of the podium in the tournament, the Master category was one of the most thrilling as its warriors showcased their knowledge and experience while fighting for the gold. Starting in the Master 1 94kg division, the local black belt Jan Van Haperen (Focus Jiu Jitsu) went toe-to-toe against Belgium's Tom Peeters (Checkmat International) for the title, showcasing his dominance and scoring multiple times throughout the regulated time while giving his opponent almost no chances to fight back. At the end of it all, a 5-0 score made Jan Van Haperen the champion.

Meanwhile, in the Master 2 85kg division, Brazil's Odair Cavalcanti (Brazilian Top Team) entered a three-man bracket and fought his way to the top of the podium. Facing his compatriot Rodrigo Tychoniuk (Combat Club Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Team) in the semifinal, Odair had his skills on full display as he scored multiple times and controlled the flow of the match to take the win with an 8-0 score. Then, in the gold round, Odair went up against the Polish Marcin Kasprzyk (Renzo Gracie Holland) in a much more challenging bout, with both sides fighting evenly until the five minutes were up. When the clock ran out, a narrow 2-1 score placed Odair in the lead of the weight class.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Rio Branco International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Eveline Figueiredo conquers the double gold in Acre

Taking place on Saturday and Sunday, June 28th and 29th, the Rio Branco International took over the SESC Bosque in the Brazilian state of Acre and gave local athletes the chance to compete in the internationally recognized AJP mats without having to account for travel expenses.

Coming as the highlight of the competition, the local professional black belt Eveline Figueiredo (JRBJJAC) went above and beyond with her campaign and became a double champion. Starting in the 70kg division, Eveline went up against Wendy Maia (CT Jandervan Maia BJJ) in the final match, using her technical know-how to take the lead in the scoreboard before controlling the flow of the match to take the win via points. Around the three-minute mark, however, Wendy made an illegal move and ended up disqualified, cutting the duel short and giving Eveline the win.

Later on, Eveline returned to the battlefield and entered the Open Heavyweight division, facing Isadora Cunha (Academia Atitude) for the title. The match took up the entirety of the regulated time and featured Eveline in top form, scoring multiple times and keeping her opponent in check while avoiding any dangerous positions to retain the lead on the scoreboard. When the time was up, a 4-1 score gave Eveline the win and her second trip to the top of the podium.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Bologna International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025: Elisa Guerra and Ares Napoletano keep the gold in Italy

On Sunday, June 29th, the Palazola in Italy opened its doors for the Bologna International, welcoming colored and black belts of all backgrounds to put their skills to the test and fight for the coveted AJP gold medal.

In the Professional category, the highlight goes to the local black belt Elisa Guerra (Caimani Team Treviso Ita), who entered the 70kg division and made a great final match against the Moroccan Hind Charifi (Roger Gracie Academy Dubai). With both sides going all-out during the bout, Elisa used her skills to quickly take the lead in the scoreboard and unleashed her pressure on Hind, landing multiple points and putting the scoreboard at 8-1 before finding her chance and ending the match with a submission in the final 30 seconds of the duel.

Meanwhile, in the Master 1 category, the Italian black belt Ares Napoletano (Iron Jiu Jitsu) took the action to the next level as he conquered the double gold in the 77kg division. Starting in the gi, Ares went up against the Peruvian Percy Covarrubias (Kimura Italia) in a balanced match that took up the entirety of the regulated time, with the former coming out on top with an 8-2 score to become the champion. Later on, Ares joined the No-Gi 77kg division and ran into Percy Covarrubias yet again in the fight for the title, finding more resistance but still managing to take the top spot on the podium with a 5-3 score.

Check out the full results here!