September 9, 2023

The modern city of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, hosted on Saturday, September 9th, the emotions of the eagerly awaited AJP Tour Asian Continental Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2023. The six mats set up at the Shabab Al Ahli Club had non-stop excitement on the day, with duels between promising young people from the colored belts, masters eager for the taste of victory, and athletes from all parts of the world in action. However, it was the master 1 black belt duels that brought the highlights of the day. Check out the details in the lines below.

In the 56kg division, Luiz Ribeiro (Abu Dhabi Police Academy) made quick work of submitting Haitham Hanawi (AFNT) twice, to secure gold in the category without any major scares. Then, the British Sam Teague (Roger Gracie Academy) won three fights towards the 62kg title, the final being won by DQ, in the duel against Rafael Gonçalves (Abu Dhabi Police Academy).

Thiago Marques (Commando Group) confirmed his favoritism and won the 69kg gold with two quick finishes, over Ahl-Zine Badr-Eddine (AFNT) and Caio Cesar dos Santos (AFNT), respectively. For the 77kg title, Talison Costa (AFNT) came out on top by prevailing a duel and taking the gold medal without competing in the final, winning by W.O. For the 85kg title, Flavio Vianna (AFNT) faced two matches before the final against Marcos Paulo Costa (AFNT). After a balanced fight, Flavio prevailed in the referees' decision.

Renato Cardoso (Commando Group) reached the 94kg final without breaking a sweat, as he had no opponents on his side of the bracket. Still, the final against Igor Sousa was pretty even, with Renato winning 1-0. In the 120kg division, Joseph Ferreira (Romeu Bertho) confirmed his good form by winning two fights on his way to gold, including finishing the title fight against Pablo Aragão (AFNT).

The first day of the tournament also featured Amateurs and Masters fights from different categories, both male and female. To check the full results, click here!