Over 500 athletes to compete at AD Jiu-Jitsu event

With the UAE capital set to host the Abu Dhabi International Pro, a key stop on the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro (AJP) Tour on March 12-13 at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena, the UAE’s elite jiu-jitsu fighters will have the opportunity to face off against some of the leading international fighters across belts and weights with over 500 fighters from 30 countries having confirmed their participation in the tournament.

March 12 will see blue belt-holders compete while purple, brown, and black belt holders will take to the mats on Saturday.

The UAEJJF has confirmed that 123 fighters from the UAE across belts will be in action during the two-day tournament. Brazil and Colombia, traditional jiu-jitsu powerhouses, will also have strong representation with 87 and 34 fighters respectively.

The AJP Abu Dhabi International Pro offers 600 ranking points to winners in each class, attaching even greater importance to the tournament.

According to senior members of the technical team at the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation (UAEJJF), the governing body for the sport in the Emirates, the timing of the tournament comes at the perfect time for fighters to test the level of their preparations and identify further areas of improvement going into what is expected to be a very busy season.

Mubarak Al Menhali, Technical Director, UAEJJF, said: “The AJP Abu Dhabi International Pro would bring some truly elite fighters to the Jiu-Jitsu Arena mats and would offer opportunities for high-class competition and the chance to pick up valuable learnings. “Tournaments on the AJP circuit are extremely competitive and the technical level of the fighters is very high.

“It is the perfect opportunity for all our fighters, budding and experienced, to get the chance to participate in a high-level tournament here at home.

The benefits from competing on such a big platform are invaluable and I would like to urge as many fighters from the UAE as possible to sign up for the competition,” he added.

“This is the first time that we are hosting an AJP International Pro event here in the UAE and the timing couldn’t be better. Our fighters are preparing for upcoming international assignments and the quality of the opponents they would face in this tournament would greatly aid their career development.

“This tournament also provides valuable exposure to the AJP Tour circuit, with fighters getting a taste of the pressure that comes with competing on the global stage and a window into the workings of professional jiu-jitsu,” said Menhali.

Rodrigo Valerio, Operations Manager, Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro (AJP), said, “It is a pleasure to organise an event of this stature in Abu Dhabi. The city is fast becoming a global hub for combat sports and having successfully put on a number of high-quality sporting events in these challenging times, we are confident that this tournament will benefit from those same high standards.

“Abu Dhabi is the global capital of jiu-jitsu, and we are looking forward to two days of high-quality action on the mats here in Abu Dhabi, the global capital of jiu-jitsu.”