WEEKEND RECAP: MALAYSIA, THE US, AND SOUTH AFRICA JOIN HANDS WITH THE AJP TO HOST STELLAR TOURNAMENTS

While the South America Continental and the ADXC 3 created unforgettable moments in Brazil, the AJP continued its tradition of promoting tournaments in other countries around the world. This time around, Malaysia hosted a National while cities in the US and South Africa held their internationals, giving athletes more options to compete during the weekend. Without further ado, let’s check out the highlights from each championship!

AJP Tour Malaysia National Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Matheus Aguiar and Cassandra Poyong conquer the Professional gold in Kuala Lumpur

On Saturday, March 2nd, the MBSJ Stadium Serdang Jaya opened its doors to welcome colored and black belts from all over the world, setting up the AJP mats for an entire afternoon of competition. Among the many champions that rose to the top of the podium on that day, Matheus Aguiar (M.O.D UAE) and Cassandra Poyong (Hikari Jiu-Jitsu Team) were the highlights, with performances that allowed them to conquer the Professional gold.

Representing Brazil, Matheus Aguiar joined the 85kg division and found himself surrounded by his countrymen in a three-man bracket. His first duel was against Diego Vargas (Monarchy MMA), who gave Matheus a hard time with his technical prowess, with the latter advancing to the final with a tight 1-0 score. In the gold round, Matheus went toe-to-toe against Daniel Soares (GFTeam) and once again was faced with a tough-as-nails opponent, leaving his heart on the mat as he sought to emerge victorious from the contest. Much like his first fight, the duel was not an easy one and Matheus once again got a narrow 1-0 win, gaining the top spot on the podium for his efforts.

Before that, though, the Women’s Brown/Black category saw the rise of local brown belt Cassandra Poyong. Fighting at the 62kg division, Cassandra faced Arlene Kim (Enjoy the Process Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) and gave her opponent absolutely no chance to fight back as she unleashed her game and scored multiple times during the bout. When the clock ran out, Cassandra became the champion with a whopping 14-0 score.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Lubbock International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: Daniel Ribeiro takes the double gold in the US

On that same Saturday, the Lubbock International took over the Premier Sportsplex, in Texas, and welcomed athletes from all corners of the world to fight for gold and points in the AJP mats. On such a battlefield, the Brazilian Daniel Ribeiro (GFTeam) rose to prominence as he conquered not one but two gold medals, with all his victories coming via submission.

His journey began in the 120kg division. Donning his gi, Daniel faced the local Diego Almeida (Guetho - Bueno BJJ) and promptly unleashed his Jiu-Jitsu, scoring multiple times during the match, but without finding the right angle to land a finishing attack. In the final seconds of the match, Daniel managed to finally land the submission and get his first gold.

Later on, Daniel made his way back to the mats, this time ready to fight without the gi to conquer the Open Heavyweight division. His opponent this time was Gleidson Cutis (Fighteria Academy), a countryman who had previously snatched the No-Gi 120kg gold from his hands. Determined to do things differently this time around, Daniel went full throttle from the start, quickly overwhelming his opponent and landing the winning submission to conquer his second gold medal.

Check out the full results here!

AJP Tour Cape Town International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024: François Moleslas submits his way to the double gold in South Africa

On both days of the weekend, the Camps Bay High School received the Cape Town International and its many contenders for a memorable day of competition. Colored and black belts of all ages took to the mats to put their training to the test, but the most successful fighter this time around was François Moleslas (Renzo Gracie Academy Cape Town).

Representing France in the competition, François conquered the double gold while submitting every single one of his opponents. His campaign began on the first day as he joined the 94kg bracket to fight for the title. In the semis, he dominated his teammate Alex Goldberg by scoring 15-0 before ultimately submitting and advancing to the final. In the gold round, François went toe-to-toe with Cape Verde’s Ricardo Brito (Z1 Academy), threading a little more carefully before submitting his opponent around the 2-minute mark.

With one gold medal hanging from his shoulders, François returned on the second day of the tournament, this time fighting without his gi to conquer the 94kg division once again. In a rematch from the previous day, François faced Ricardo Brito in the final, but the latter was better prepared this time around, holding his own and giving the former no room to score any points during most of the match. In fact, François only found a gap in his opponent’s defense in the final seconds of the duel, locking yet another gold submission to climb the podium for the second time.

Check out the full results here!