September 18, 2023
While the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam World Tour Miami drew all the eyes in the US, the AJP kept the ball rolling with three tournaments around the world, making sure that every athlete had a chance to compete this weekend. Between Albania, Finland, and Russia, competitors didn’t lack options to reach the mats and show the results of their training. Check out below the highlights of each tournament.
**AJP Tour Albania National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2023: Zafeiria Panagiotarakou takes the double gold at Tirana
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On Saturday, September 16th, the Greek black belt Zafeiria Panagiotarakou (Checkmat International) went all out and conquered the double gold at the Asllan Rusi" Sports Palace. With both of her titles conquered in the gi, Zafeiria started her campaign at the 62kg division. In a single match against the Brazilian Dayane Bazzoni (A.F.N.T), Zafeiria used her technical know-how to outscore her opponent, taking her first win by 3-0.
Later, in the Open Heavyweight division, Dayane stood once again in Zafeiria’s path to the gold. The duel played much like the previous one, with Zafeiria keeping herself in advantage throughout the match. By the end, the scoreboard counted 5-0 for the Greek champion, landing her the second title of the day.
Check out the full results here!
AJP Tour Finland National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2023: Omar Alfadhli and Matheus Rangel conquer the professional gold at Espoo
On that same Saturday, two black belts showed their skills and conquered the gold at the Tapiolan Urheiluhalli, in the city of Espoo. First, UAE’s Omar Alfadhli (Al Wahda Club Jiu-Jitsu Academy) dominated the 77kg division in the gi. With two fights and two submissions, Omar started by defeating Kuwaiti Abdullah Taran (Icon Jiu-Jitsu Team International) in the semis and then went on to the final, where he beat Angolan Fady Saad (Gracie Barra Angola) to take the title.
Later that day, on the no-gi side, it was Matheus Rangel’s time to shine. After taking the bronze in the 77kg division with the gi, he returned without the cloth to try his hand at the title once again. In a round-robin, Matheus first submitted Abdullah Taran in the semifinal, advancing to the final, where he faced Fady Saad. After putting the scoreboard at 10-2, Matheus landed the winning submission and took his place on the top of the division podium.
Check out the full results here!
AJP Tour Ufa International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2023: Dmitrii Vostrikov lands the double gold in Russia
On Sunday, September 17th, a Russian athlete made waves at the Priozernyy Sportcomplex by showing his skills and taking the title with and without the gi. Dmitrii Vostrikov (GFTeam) debuted at the tournament fighting with the gi, in the 120kg division. Facing only countrymen, he first outscored Ilya Sheptalov (Eduardo Hernandes Team) by 3-1 and then landed a golden submission on Andrey Silva (Gracie Barra Sevastopol).
Dmitrii later returned to the mats, this time to fight for the nogi gold in the same weight division. Despite only having one opponent in the bracket, Dmitrii had his work cut out for him, as Dmitrii Kreknin (Jungle BJJ) gave him a very balanced fight. At the end of it all, the scoreboard settled at 1-1, with Dmitrii Vostrikov emerging as the winner for scoring last.
Check out the full results here!
