Abu Dhabi: Fresh after claiming gold at the Grand Slam of Tokyo — Jose Junior is keen to topple fellow Brazilian Gabriel de Souza from the top of the world rankings when he takes part in the Al Ain International tournament being held today at the Al Ain University. The Al Ain event has drawn over 800 entries in both the men and women’s categories.
UAE’s top coach has decided to give No-Gi (without the traditional kimono) event a skip and focus solely on Gi competition.
“It’s tough to come after a world event but it’s a great opportunity that I won’t mind going the distance. “I have trained hard for this moment and the goal is to make most of the opportunities,” said Junior, adding, “The plan is to take part in as many competitions as possible, including the Grand Slam events in Rio de Janeiro, Abu Dhabi and London, and culminating with the Abu Dhabi World Pro in April.”
UAE’s national team members will also be in full force after having returned with a medal haul from the Grand Slam of Tokyo, where they won 12 medals. One of the big names that include in the list is of Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi, bronze medallist in the brown belt 110kg.
“Following a remarkable performance by our young jiu-jitsu athletes last weekend, we are excited to witness the professional players square off against each other in what is going to be an exciting couple of days,” said Abdul Munam Al Hashemi, chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation.
“I’m confident that the athletes will bring their superior skills and technique to the mats and showcase their incredible passion for the sport.”
