July 10, 2023
While athletes shed their blood, sweat, and tears at the UAE National, AJP made sure that other countries around the globe still had a chance to shine in the organization’s spotlight. With three more tournaments taking place last weekend, competitors had a wide variety of venues to choose from while they worked to rise through their respective rankings. Check out below the highlights of each championship!
Lucas Protasio and Davi Vetoraci take the double gold in Portugal
Taking place on Saturday, July 8th, the AJP Tour Vila Real International Jiu-Jitsu 2023 turned the Pavilhão dos desportos de Vila Real into a true warzone. With three fight areas and athletes from all backgrounds hungry to add another achievement to their names, the tournament lasted the entirety of the day, allowing every single competitor to put their skills to the test as they fought to reach the top of the podium.
When the dust settled, two Brazilian athletes became the highlights by taking the gold in both the weight division and the absolute. First, Lucas Protasio (Checkmat International) made his way through the 77kg bracket, submitting the Spanish Saul Sanchez (Focus Jiu-Jitsu) and beating the Angolan Leandro Paiva (Fight Nation International) via the referee’s decision. Lucas then returned to the mats for the Open Lightweight, where he submitted Saul again to reach the final round, where he would land his last submission of the day against the Spanish Alberto Guzman (Focus Jiu-Jitsu) to conquer his second gold.
Last but certainly not least, Davi Vetoraci (Focus Jiu-Jitsu) was unstoppable in Vila Real. His campaign started at the 85kg bracket, where he used the scoreboard to beat Wilkler Marques (Zr Team Association) twice, 6-1 in the first bout and 4-2 in the finals. But one gold wasn’t enough and Davi returned to the mats looking for the Open Heavyweight title, submitting Bruno Trigueiros (Brazilian Power Team International) and Lucas Azevedo (Zr Team Association) on his way to the final. On his last match of the day, Davi faced his brother and 94kg champion Matheus Vetoraci (Blvckout Gym) in a balanced match that saw the former coming out on top by the referee’s decision.
Check out the full results here!
Mikael Rhaillander submits four times to take the double gold at the England National
On that same Saturday, the University of East London SportsDock opened its doors to host the AJP Tour England National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2023. Three fight areas were then spread out across the gymnasium, welcoming athletes of all ages and graduations to climb the mats and show what they’re made off in the grand stage set by the organization.
Among the many competitors that sought to prove themselves at the event, Mikael Rhaillander (Zr Team Association) managed to become a standout by snagging the gold in both the weight division and the absolute. His journey through the tournament started at the Men’s Gi 85kg bracket, where a three-man bracket led him to face and submit the German Burak Basak (PSLPB Cícero Costha) twice for the title. Later on, in the Men’s No-Gi 85kg division, Mikael found himself in a deja vu situation, as the bracket had another round-robin waiting for him, with Burak standing in his path to the gold. Then, in another familiar scenario, Mikael proceeded to land two more submissions against his opponent to climb the podium once again.
Check out the full results here!
Abraham Marte uses his Master's experience to take the double gold in the Dominican Republic
On Sunday, July 9th, the city of Santo Domingo was the locale chosen to receive the AJP Tour Dominican Republic Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2023. In the Centro Olímpico Juan Pablo Duarte, two fight areas were set up to receive the warriors that would put their names on the line while fighting to earn recognition and points within their respective rankings.
Armed with his experience and knowledge, the local Abraham Marte (GFTeam) conquered two gold medals in his campaign. First, in the gi, Abraham faced and submitted Hector Antonio Villavicencio (Colectivo Jiu Jitsu) for the 120kg title. Then, without the cloth, Abraham once again saw himself going up against Hector, landing another winning submission to overcome his opponent and rise to the top of the podium once again.
