In the presence of Abdulla Ali Al Saboosi, the UAE Ambassador to Italy, the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Professional (AJP), affiliated with International Vision Sports Management (IVSM), launched the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour for the first time in Rome.
The competition kicked off on Friday, 12th April, and ran until Sunday, 14th April, at the Centro Olimpico Matteo Pellicone. With over a thousand men and women from 60 countries competing in the Youth, Amateur, Professional, and Master categories, the tournament saw significant participation from European and international athletes, attracting top players from leading teams in the sport right from the start.
Academies worldwide sent their top athletes to vie for the top prize, which carries great importance as it awards the winners in each category with two thousand points in the annual ranking sanctioned by the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Professional.
Rodrigo Valerio, Director of Operations at the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Professional, remarked, “Over the past decade, the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Championship has established itself as the premier destination for Jiu-Jitsu athletes globally, and the high turnout witnessed in each round of the tournament is testament to its significance and value.”
Anticipating further success in upcoming tours, notably the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu World Tour concluding the season next May, according to WAM.
One of the tournament champions, Brazilian black belt Thiago Barreto (from the Emirati academy “Commando Group), secured the gold medal in the Masters category under 69kg. Reflecting on his participation, Thiago expressed, “I aim to accrue the highest points across all championship rounds, especially given the opportunity for players to compete and engage with the sport’s top names and stars. I extend my gratitude to the UAE and tournament organisers for facilitating registration procedures and providing the best competitive environment across all tournaments.”
Brazilian Ariadne de Olivera (brown/black belt) from Al Ain Club, clinched gold in the women’s Master category under 55 kg.
Among the Professional black belt athletes, standout names included Yuri Hendrex, Leonardo Mario, and Jefferson Fagundes from the PSLPB Cicero Costha Academy, as well as Lucas Protasio from Checkmat, and Uanderson Ferreira from the Commando Group. On the Women’s side, notable participants were Fratres’ Yara Nascimento, GFTeam’s Julia Alves, and DreamArt’s Ingridd Sousa and Ana Rodrigues.