Abu Dhabi: The world’s best jiu-jitsu fighters are arriving in the UAE capital ahead of the sixth annual Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, which runs from Tuesday until Saturday at Zayed Sports City.
More than 2,500 of the best male, female and junior fighters from 71 countries are competing in the expanded Dh1.61 million format, held under the patronage of General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
Abdul Munam Al Hashemi, President of the Asian Jiu-Jitsu Union and Chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, welcomed the competitors.
“Today is another proud and momentous occasion for the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation as we warmly welcome the greatest fighters in the world to Abu Dhabi, each here to stake a claim to what has undoubtedly become one of the most important titles in the sport,” he said.
“Over the past five years this showpiece event has firmly established the UAE capital at the centre of jiu-jitsu globally.
“The stage is set for five memorable days and I would like to thank our generous sponsors, who have honoured the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation with their support. I would also like to encourage all fans and families to passionately support our UAE fighting heroes as they go into battle. It’s not to be missed.”
Championship highlights include the return of Marcus Almeida, the reigning black belt open heavyweight world champion, and female star Gabrielle Garcia, the reigning weight black belt champion, who are both back to defend their titles.
Local hopes lie with UAE jiu-jitsu champions Faisal Fahad Al Ketbi (brown belt) and Shamsa Hassan (female blue belt). They will be competing alongside Yahya Al Hammadi (purple belt), Hassan Al Rumaithi (purple belt), Ali Salem Al Darai (purple belt) and Emaan Mohammad (female blue belt).
Meanwhile, Urijah Faber, a mixed marital arts legend known globally as the ‘California kid’ and loved for his use of Brazilian jiu-jitsu in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), will be present throughout the championship, meeting fans and conducting training demos.
