The fourth edition of the tournament, which took place over the weekend at Al Ahli Club in Dubai, featured over 220 participants from the region and around the world.

Local clubs such as Al Nasr, Al Ahli, Al Ain and Al Jazira were well represented and Emirati competitors earned 68 medals on the first day – No-Gi (without the traditional kimono) – and 79 on the second and final day with Gi.

Al Nasr’s Al Ketbi was responsible for two of those medals, earning gold on each day in the male brown belt master 2 92kg category by beating Al Ain’s Mohammed Nasser Al Messabi on both occasions.

“It was very tough,” said Al Ketbi. “I’m less than 77kg. They merged three categories together because in each weight class, there was only one player. We had a player who weighed below 90kg, so he was very heavy to fight for me.

“I fought with all my experience. I usually play smart, don’t go crazy, try to secure the fight and don’t lose points. If it is a tight game, I will get advantages by doing submission attempts.”

With his namesake Faisal Al Ketbi in Vietnam with the 23-member First UAE National Jiu-Jitsu team for the Asian Beach Games, Ahmed grabbed the spotlight for Emiratis in the Dubai event to further add to his sparkling resume.

“Now I carry 118 medals so far, having competed in more than 68 competitions,” said Al Ketbi. “I’ve competed everywhere, all around the world.”

He’ll next be at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour in Tokyo, Japan, next month, followed by the Pan Pacific Championship in Australia a few days later.

The Dubai International Pro Jiu-Jitsu Championship also included the Juveniles category for the first time, which saw the participation of over 20 male players – an indication of the sport’s growing popularity in the region.

Abdul Moneim Al Hashemi, chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, said: “We are incredibly proud of all the participants who took part in the championship and showcased their immense skills.

“It was also fantastic to see a full stadium of supporters of the sport as well as participants’ family members and friends. This serves as a testament to the growing popularity of Jiu- Jitsu.”