Abu Dhabi: The UAE’s jiu-jitsu star Faisal Al Ketbi has been awarded a coveted black belt.
The honour is due reward for the 26 year-old’s gold medal in the 100-kilogramme brown-belt division at the World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship in the capital last month.
His win over American Hans Borchardt led to Al Ketbi’s fifth gold medal in the championship since the Abu Dhabi event was established in 2009. He had won the gold in the blue belt in the first two years, and the silver in 2011. This year, he also completed a grand double by winning gold in the brown-belt open-weight category as well.
Having received his black belt, Al Ketbi will soon be taking on the likes of Brazilian world champions Marcos Almeida and Rodolfo Vieira. His first competition in the black belt will be the Elite No-Gi World Championship on June 13-14 and then in the Ramadan Cup in July. Both these high-profile events will be held in Abu Dhabi.
“It will be a huge learning experience to compete against some of the stalwarts of the sport such as Almeida and Vieira,” said Al Ketbi, adding: “The black belt is a new beginning for me. To fight in the black-belt division has always been my long-term ambition. To win gold medals in the blue, purple and brown-belt categories in the world pro event wasn’t easy either. The bar has now been raised and I hope I can meet the challenges that are ahead.”
Before pursuing his jiu-jitsu career full time in 2009, Al Ketbi took part in wrestling and judo. He says his greatest moment in the sport was when he was embraced and congratulated by Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and the Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, who has been the main patron for the development and promotion of the sport in the country.
“It doesn’t happen too often and it doesn’t happen in many other sports, so for me, it was a great honour when Shaikh Mohammed was present and then embraced me after the win,” Al Ketbi said.
