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UAE capital gears up for 10th anniversary of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship

Sport360 staff

14:09 02/04/2018

The UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation is gearing up to host the 10th anniversary of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, which will put a host of famous competitors from within the UAE and across the world against each other to battle it out on the mats.

The action takes place over 13 days and will be held at the Mubadala Arena in Zayed Sports City from April 16-28.

To share the latest updates on the most prestigious event of its kind in the world, the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation has launched a dedicated website which features details on match schedules, activities and workshops taking place at the free-to-attend event championship.

This year’s edition not only celebrates a decade of champions, but also coincides with the Year of Zayed, which highlights the life and legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the UAE.

Aligned with the core values of the Year of Zayed which include respect, human development, wisdom and sustainability, the championship will see a record number of participants both locally and globally across male and female categories.

Furthermore, through the continued effort by the UAE government and the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation to support people of determination to compete on an international level, spectators will also witness an unprecedented amount of participation from athletes in the Para Jiu-Jitsu category.

This year the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation has launched the “Champion Within”, an initiative that aims to inspire people to find the hero inside them through discovering their true potential.

With the world’s best Jiu-Jitsu athletes competing at the event, and plenty of the UAE’s very own talent also taking part, both jiu-jitsu practitioners and spectators alike will feel inspired to motivate the next generation, as every attendee is invited to tell their own story and encouraged to try the sport for the first time.

A strong new addition to this year’s line-up includes the first-ever “King of the Mat” competition. The event will see previous championship winners of the past nine years compete against each other.

With such a prestigious list of winners – including Rafael Mendes, Rodolfo Vieira, Leandro Ro and Buchecha to name just a few – it’s bound to be an edge-of-your-seat event for spectators, with some truly impressive jiu-jitsu taking place, not to mention a $200,000 prize to be shared between the medallists of the three weight divisions – light, middle, and heavyweight.

The Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship will offer unprecedented prizes this year as a whole, with more than $1 million to be won.

It’s not just the competitors who will head home as winners, though, as guests and spectators will all have the chance to win exciting prizes as well, from the chance to take home a brand-new Range Rover Evoque, and daily giveaways, to other social media competitions throughout the event.

The 10th edition of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship takes place this month.

This year’s event promises fun for the entire family. There will be plenty of activities throughout the event, from a spectacular opening and prize-giving ceremony, to a show by the Abu Dhabi Police K9 Unit, and plenty more.

For fans looking for a quick bite between the matches, there are over nine different food trucks and kiosks to choose from, offering various different types of cuisines.

Among the top participating international athletes this year are Adolfo Correia, Ruben Lemos – the top ranked players in Africa; Youngam Noh and Joao Carlos Kuraoka – the champions of Asia; Krzysztof Flak and Adam Wardzinski from Europe, Matthew Leighton and Jonathan Satava from North America; Lachlan Giles and Ben Hodgkinson from Oceania and Igor Silva and Jose Lima from South America.

On a local level, the championship will see the participation of Faisal Al Ketbi, Talib Saleh, Obaid Al Kaabi, Ahmed Al Ketbi, Zayed Al Kaabi, Musabbeh Al Kateri, Abdulla Al Jneibi, Omar Al Mesmari, Mohamed Alamri, Hamdan Al Blooshi, Sultan Al Ali, Mariam Al Ameri and Zahra Al Hashmi.

In the para jiu-jitsu category, Khalifa Mohammed will be among the athletes of note.

A number of clubs from the UAE will also be participating, including Al Wahda Club Jiu Jitsu Academy, Al Ain Jiu Jitsu Club and Al Jazira Jiu-Jitsu Club.

The Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship is sponsored by the UAE Ministry of Interior as a government partner; official media partner Abu Dhabi Media; strategic partner Palm Sports; lifestyle developer Emaar; exclusive automobile partner Premier Motors of Al Tayers Motors – Land Rover; as diamond partners Ministry of the Interior and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank; official sport channel Abu Dhabi Sports; content partner Sky News Arabia; energy partner ADNOC; gold partners Department of Tourism & Culture, Al Massaood, Emirates Global Aluminium; Dolphin Energy, Cavallo (Louzan fashion), Aafaq and ADASI; supporting partners Abu Dhabi Sports Council and Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK); along with silver partners Tawazun Economic Council, Senaat General Holding Corporation, Al Khajja Holding Group, United Al Saqr group and Lulu International Group.

Those interested in signing up for the tournament can do so online before April 10 at https://events.uaejjf.org/event/89.

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