The previous weekend was yet another awesome one for Jiu-Jitsu competitors at AJP, with the organization hosting no less than four tournaments in different countries worldwide.
Starting with a National in Singapore and Internationals in both Mexico and Argentina, athletes also had a Regional in China to look forward to these last couple of days.
Without further ado, let’s check out the highlights from each championship.
AJP Tour Singapore National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Professional black belts take the gold on Orchard Road
Taking place this Saturday, August 17th, the Singapore National was a beacon that attracted accomplished athletes from all corners of the planet, offering the winners 1000 ranking points and the chance to become an AJP champion.
As always, the black belts from the Professional category were a standout on the battlefield, displaying their technical prowess with and without the gi to conquer their respective weight divisions in the competition.
Starting in the gi, the Brazilian Thales Nakassu (Evolve MMA) outscored the local Kenneth Tan (Equilibrium MMA) and the Emirati Said Almazrouie (UAE Police) to take the 62kg title.
Brazil had two other champions fighting with the cloth as Alexsandro Machado (Checkmat International) conquered the 85kg division after three hard-fought battles and Henrique Cabral (Evolve MMA) submitted both of his opponents to become the 120kg champion.
Vut Canada also staked its claim in the tournament as Fatima Eltassi (GFTeam) overcame the Australian Miranda Okazima (Guigo Jiu Jitsu) and the Chinese Wengmiao Liang (Alliance) to reach the top of the podium in the women’s 70kg division.
On the no-gi side of things, however, the UAE seized the majority of the titles, with Said Almazrouie (UAE Police) taking the 62kg gold and Yousif Alhammadi (UAE Police) becoming the 94kg division champion.
Still, Rodrigo Marello (Evolve MMA) managed to snag another win for Brazil as he submitted the Filipino Raymond Varilla (Project Lifestyle Manila) and scored a narrow 1-0 over fellow countryman Rafael Figueiredo (Alliance) in the 85kg final round.
Check out the full results here!
AJP Tour Merida International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Mario Navarrete and Abisai Manrique keep the gold in Mexico
On that same Saturday, the Instituto del Deporte de Yucatán opened its doors for the Merida International, an AJP tournament that invited athletes of all ages and graduations to show their skills and gain experience as they seek the top of their respective weight divisions.
But while many competitors were putting on a show on their way to the gold, two Mexican black belts from the Professional category managed to stand out as they reached their goals while showing everyone why they stood at the top tier of the competitive scene.
Starting in the 69kg division, Mario Navarrete (Wolfpack Jiu Jitsu Mexico) completely dominated his fellow countryman Raul Solis (Gracie Barra Playa del Carmen) in the gold round.
From the beginning, Mario had control of the match and went on to score multiple times while not giving his opponent any chance to do the same. Around the three-minute mark, Mario saw his chance and locked a winning submission to become the division champion.
Meanwhile, Abisai Manrique (Renzo Gracie Mexico) got a lightning-fast submission over Orlando Yeh (Math of Jiu-Jitsu) to take the 77kg title.
Starting the duel with the pedal to the metal, Abisai had his aggressiveness on full display as he quickly overwhelmed Orlando and got the three taps in under ten seconds of the bout, showing just how lethal his game can be from the get-go.
Check out the full results here!
AJP Tour Rio Gallegos International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Velasquez Rodrigo keeps the double gold in Argentina
Taking place on both days of the weekend, the Rio Gallegos International landed at the Gimnasio Municipal Eva Perón and attracted both local and foreign talent to put their training to the test while seeking the gold.
Cue Velasquez Rodrigo, a Professional black belt representing the Irmaos Club who put his skills on full display as he took to the mats and conquered the coveted double gold.
Velasquez’s campaign began on the first day, as he entered the 77kg division to hunt for his first title.
With only local athletes in the bracket, Velasquez first outscored Diego Loto (Cohab Chile) in the semifinal and then went on to have an incredibly balanced match with his teammate Hugo Villalba, taking the win and his first gold medal via decision.
Velasquez came back the following day to fight for the No-Gi Open Heavyweight division. His first opponent this time around was the Uruguayan Simon Tschernij (Ratão Jiu Jitsu Internacional), who put up a good fight but was unable to avoid the submission in the first couple of minutes into the bout.
Advancing to the final, Velasquez went toe-to-toe against Eduardo Ojeda (Cohab Chile) in another balanced match that took up the entirety of the regulated time and ended at 3-3. Having scored last in the match, Velasquez once again got the victory and became a double champion in his homeland.
Check out the full results here!
AJP Tour South China Regional Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: SeungGyu Heo takes the triple gold in Shenzhen
Another competition taking place throughout the weekend was the South China Regional, which was hosted at Guangming District Honghuashan Sports Center and welcomed colored and black belts to gain experience and points while visiting a different and exciting country.
Such was the case of SeungGyu Heo, a South Korean brown belt representing John Frankl BJJ who managed to overcome all odds and became a triple champion in the tournament.
SeungGyu’s first stop was the Brown/Black Open Heavyweight division, in which he first overcame the local Wenjie Xu (Ocean Combat Academy) by 8-1 and then got the submission over his teammate JaeMin Lee in the final.
Not long after, SeungGyu found his way back to the battlefield and entered the 85kg division, submitting the Chinese Huafeng He (Bonny BJJ Academy) in the semifinal and scoring 15-0 over Wenjie Xu in the gold round.
With two titles conquered, SeungGyu returned in the following day and fought without the gi in the 85kg division, getting another submission over Huafeng He in the final round and taking home three gold medals after an astounding performance.
Check out the full results here!
