Abu Dhabi: The ninth annual Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Championships, held under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, welcomes legends of the sport for the second year running, in what is set to be an epic showdown on April 22.
Ten Jiu-Jitsu icons, both current and retired, will battle it out on the mat for five gold belts in the ultimate clash of talent.
“The UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation is proud to announce fights between Bantamweight legends Wellington ‘Megaton’ Dias (USA) and Helio ‘Soneca’ Moreira (Brazil); Lightweight legends Alexandre ‘Soca’ Freitas and Baret Yoshida (HAW); Welterweight legends Kenny Florian (USA) and Vitor ‘Shaolin’ Ribeiro; Middleweight legends Amaury Bitetti (BRA) and Roberto ‘Spider’ Traven (USA); and Heavyweight legends Marcio Pe de Pano Cruz (BRA) and Gabriel ‘Napao’ Gonzaga (BRA),” a statement said.
Fighting in the brand-new Bantamweight division of the Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Championship is ‘Megaton’ Dias from the USA, who has been a star of the sport for over two decades. Megaton, known for his takedown slams that are so loud they are said to resemble a megaton bomb, is the only Jiu-Jitsu fighter to have competed in all first 16 editions of the World BJJ Championships as a black-belt (from 1996 until 2011), having reached the podium on four occasions.
Another new category in 2017 is the Welterweight division welcoming Florian from the USA, an MMA star and former UFC competitor turned TV pundit. His Jiu-Jitsu accomplishments have included the NAGA BJJ Superfight Champion and Grappler’s Quest Superfight Champion.
