April 30, 2023
After a long hiatus due to the pandemic, Jiu-Jitsu once again has a major event in Chinese territory. Hosted during the Labor Day holiday, the AJP Tour China National Jiu-Jitsu was held in Hangzhou, on the 29th and 30th of April.
The Hangzhou Linping Sports Center Gymnasium hosted over 1200 athletes of all ages and belts to fight in the gi and no-gi categories. Organizer of the event in China, Andrew Pi was excited about the return of the tournament and the possibility of bringing Jiu-Jitsu to more people with the help of an event the size of the AJP National.
«We want to grow the Jiu-Jitsu community in China», said Andrew. «Jiu-Jitsu is a great sport and we have one of the largest markets in the world. We’re happy to have AJP helping to spread such a cerebral martial art in China.»
Among the standouts at professional black belt, two Brazilian professors based in China took gold. In the under 94kg division, Jean Santos (Top Brother China) won over Ariuntsog Baasandorj. Even with a strong game in the entry of takedowns, Ariuntsog ended up on the bottom when he tried a takedown spinning with the opponent’s collar. Jean took advantage of the gap, working with technique to pass, scoring three points from lateral control. Then, after applying a knee on belly to increase the score to 5-0, Jean took the lapel to choke Ariuntsog with a scarf choke.
Already in the 77kg division, Luiz Vieira took the gold after a spectacular move. His opponent, Davaadorj Munkhtur, showed knowledge of the takedown game, bringing danger to Luiz. In the first moment, Luiz pulled guard and got under Davaadorj, trying to go up to score, but Davaadorj avoided it. In the next move, with the two fighting on their feet, Luiz revealed his real intention in the pulling movement. This time, the black belt managed to take Davaadorj down with a tomoe-nage using a butterfly hook, rolling and getting on top to score 2-0 on the final score.
However, Davaadorj wasn’t satisfied with getting silver in the weight division and entered the lightweight brown/black open-class bracket with even more determination. After winning one fight by points and one by submission, Davaadorj faced Pan Wang, bronze medalist in the 77kg division, at the final match. Davaadorj got the gold medal for the Mongolian team with a score of 12-5.
Tariq Al-Bahri, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Association for Professional Jiu-Jitsu AJP, emphasized that Abu Dhabi has a distinguished record in organizing international sports tournaments, which has contributed to its position as a global sports destination, promoting sports tourism and developing the local economy.
«These tournaments are an opportunity to promote the AJP and its ability to manage the most important global sports forums, and to strengthen sports and cultural ties with many countries and international organizations. In addition, it provides opportunities for local sports talents to shine on the international stage, under the guidance of the association, while spreading the values of Jiu-Jitsu that promote respect, tolerance, understanding, and cooperation between countries and people.»
To see all the champions and finalists of the historic AJP China National, click here.
