October 2, 2023
Following a stacked month of September, AJP has decided to kick off October on a high note, providing athletes and fans with six tournaments around the world. Throughout both days of the weekend, Serbia, Ukraine, Argentina, New Zealand, Italy, and Russia held events on their soil, setting the tone for the rest of the competitive month. Without further ado, check out below the highlights of each championship.
AJP Tour Serbia National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2023: Professional black belts submit to take the gold at Belgrade
On Saturday, September 30th, three Professional black belts conquered their division by submitting their opponents as they rose to the podium. In the women’s brown/black category, North Macedonia’s Daniela Aleksovska (The Strongest) scored 8-0 before submitting the Emirati Wadima Alyafei (Al Ain Jiu-Jitsu Club) to take the 55kg division gold. Meanwhile, in the 95kg bracket, Bissau-Guinean Katiuscia Dias (Fight Nation International) defeated North Macedonia’s Eva Ilievska (The Strongest).
On the men’s side, Brazilian Uanderson Ferreira (Commando Group) fought a balanced match against Montenegrin Emir Delijic (Pit Bull Jiu Jitsu Montenegro) before landing a deciding submission to become the 94kg division champion at the event.
Check out the full results here!
**AJP Tour Kyiv International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2023: Serhii Kuzmychov submits to take the Professional gold in Ukraine
**
Still on Saturday, a local purple belt stepped up to the National University of Physical Education and Sport of Ukraine and showed his skills to take the title. Ranked #2 in the country, 25-year-old Ukrainian Serhii Kuzmychov (BJJ Globetrotters Oceania) headed to the 94kg division to put his prowess to the test. On the other side of the mats, Fight Sports’ Evgeniy Kharchenko was ready to use his Jiu-Jitsu and lay Serhii’s ambitions to rest.
But regardless of Evgeniy’s goals for the tournament, Serhii was in control during the entirety of the match. Imposing his game from the get-go, Serhii quickly scored 6-0 against his opponent, before ultimately submitting Evgeniy and taking the division title.
Check out the full results here!
AJP Tour Argentina National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2023: Higor Lima and Daniel Martins take the double gold at Buenos Aires
Over the course of the weekend, two Brazilian athletes made their way to the neighboring country of Argentina and reached the Parque Olímpico de la Juventud, where their performances landed them the double gold. One of those athletes was Higor Lima (Hunters Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu), who started his journey in the 77kg bracket and submitted both the Argentine Hugo Villalba (Irmaos Club) and the Brazilian Matheus da Silva (Equipe Vilhena Jiu-Jitsu) to take his first title. Later on, when he returned to the mats gunning for the Open Lightweight gold, Higor once again fought against Matheus da Silva for the title, this time taking the win by a 6-2 score.
On the heavier side of the brackets, Daniel Martins (Alliance Mario Reis) fought five times to acquire both titles. In the 85kg division, Daniel first beat the Argentine Matias Simonelli (Alliance) in the semis and then submitted Ramiro Galvan (GFTeam) in the final. He then made his way to the Open Heavyweight bracket, where he submitted the Paraguayan Carlos Irigoitia (Gracie Barra Legion Asuncion), outscored Ramiro Galvan by 2-0, and then landed his final submission against his fellow countryman Henrique Russi (Checkmat International).
Check out the full results here!
AJP Tour New Zealand National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2023: Wagner Chrispim and Renato Silva amaze with their Jiu-Jitsu in Auckland
On Sunday, October 1st, the Synergy Sports received colored and black belts fighting for gold and glory on AJP mats. In the professional black belt 62kg division, Wagner Chrispim (The Academy - Byron Bay) faced Thalison Soares (Art of Jiu Jitsu) for the title. The match was very well balanced until the win, when the scoreboard counted 7-6 for Wagner, landing the Brazilian atop the division podium.
On the Master side, Renato Silva (Choice Jiu-Jitsu Academy) showed his prowess and experience as he conquered the double gold. Starting in the 85kg bracket, Renato outscored Rafael Turnbull (Sorriso BJJ) by 1-0 and then went on to the finals, where he submitted Martin Melecchi (Braddah Jiu Jitsu) for the title. Later, he returned to the mats, this time for the no-gi title in the 85kg division. Renato started by landing a 1-0 against Jose Carlos Neto (Carlson Gracie Team) in the semifinal and seized the gold by submitting Rafael Turnbull in the last round.
Check out the full results here!
AJP Tour Italy National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2023: Francisco Jonas, Lautaro Sanguineme, and Diana Teixeira submit all opponents in Milano
On that same Sunday, three South American black belts made waves at the Centro Pavesi FIPAV, in the city of Milano, by submitting all opponents on their way to the top of the podium. In the 62kg division, the Brazilian Francisco Jonas (PSLPB Cícero Costha) defeated the Spaniard Xavi Bas (CFC Team) twice to conquer the gold. Meanwhile, the Argentine Lautaro Sanguineme (Association Aranha) first beat the Brazilian Augusto Soares (Lotus Club Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Club) in the semifinal and then triumphed over the Welsh Benjamin Robson (Gracie Barra Cannock) to become the 77kg division champion.
On the Women’s brown/black category, the Brazilian Diana Teixeira (Baniyas Jiu-Jitsu Club) conquered the 55kg bracket by first submitting the Maltese Michelle Bonnici (Avant-Garde BJJ) in the semis and then landing her final submission against the Italian Marta Giaimo (Gracie Barra Italy).
Check out the full results here!
AJP Tour Saint Petersburg International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2023: Yaroslav Yunka rises as the absolute champion in Russia
Still on Sunday, at the Sport Center Novoizmailovskiy, Russian athletes had a chance to earn some points while fighting in their home country. With his brown belt tied across his waist, the local athlete Yaroslav Yunka (Strela Team) made the most of this opportunity and headed straight to the Professional black belt Open Heavyweight bracket, determined to add a high-profile victory to his grappling record while facing athletes at the top of the competitive food chain.
In a Russian-only bracket, Yaroslav started his campaign by dominating the black belt Aleksandr Karmanov (Universal Jiu Jitsu) in a match that ended with a 15-1 score. He then made his way to the final, where he was evenly matched by his teammate Ignatiy Bufeev. By the time the match ended, the scoreboard counted a 1-1 tie, with Yaroslav taking the win by scoring last.
Check out the full results here!
