The Al Ain International Pro Jiu-Jitsu Championship concluded on Saturday, at the UAE University in Al Ain city, with top jiu-jitsu athletes and international stars from more than 44 countries competing during the two-day competition.

The championship was open to all local and international jiu-jitsu teams and all levels of skills and age groups were represented.

The Al Ain Championship was the second international championship to take place during the 2017-2018 sports season following the Ajman International Championship last month. The UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, UAEJJF, has always been keen to ensure the participation of UAE national team members in all international events in order to provide them with a professional training base and to enrich their skills ahead of the upcoming International Colombia National Pro Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

Mohammed Salem Al Dhaheri, Vice President of the UAEJJF, praised the level of organisation on display at this weekend’s Al Ain Championship, and the competitions that attracted many local, international, and regional professional athletes, underlining the championship’s important position on the world jiu-jitsu agenda.

Al Dhaheri said that organising this championship supports the UAEJJF’s strategy of fostering a jiu-jitsu culture within the domestic community and encouraging society to embrace a healthy lifestyle for generations to come.

Mansoor Al Dhahiri, Board Member of the UAEJJF, said, "Jiu-Jitsu has become the most popular sport amongst our youth. Over these past few years, we have successfully reached out to thousands of school students to spread this sport, promote participation in it, and build a strong generation of future jiu-jitsu champions. The results of these efforts are evidently apparent from the advanced performance of athletes in local and international championships. The Al Ain Championship is a prime example of this, in addition to being one of the most important indicators of the UAE's position in the field of jiu-jitsu. Our athletes are competing and excelling against athletes from countries with a long history in this sport."

The Al Ain Championship is the first of its kind in the UAE where young athletes were participating in pro-categories. This demonstrated the readiness of these athletes to compete at the highest level and participate in all international events, representing the UAE in categories that are higher than their level, aiming to prepare them to compete with international peers.

Yousif Al Blooshi, Director of the Technical Department said, "Our main focus during this weekend’s championship in Al Ain has been the participation of the juveniles (U-18) across different weight categories in the pro-categories. This is the first time this has happened and it comes after much introspection from the UAEJJF’s Technical Committee, to ensure that juveniles compete, not only in the pro-categories but against the very best pro’s themselves. Our aim is to simply develop these future fighters and provide them with the opportunity to interact with more advanced and experienced players than themselves, preparing them for upcoming international tournaments, with our main focus being Jakarta in 2018."

The two days of the championship witnessed a remarkable level of performance and strong competition amongst the athletes who participated in the first day’s "No Gi." It featured fights in 40 different categories across multiple different weight categories and belt colours. Athletes competed for global ranking positions, displaying the most advanced techniques on the mat.

The UAE athletes gave an admirable performance on the first day of the championship, with Mohammed Al Matroushi winning a gold medal in the 73-kg category, while Salim Ali Mubarak won the 46-kg junior gold medal, Hamad Al Ahbabi won the 50-kg junior gold medal, Salim Al Dhaheri won the 55-kg junior gold medal, Abdullah Al Monzeri won the 60-kg junior gold medal, Abdullah Al Hasmi won the 66-kg junior gold medal, Maher Al Tahir won the 73-kg junior gold medal, Khalifa Al Hashemi won the 60-kg white belt gold medal, Abdul Rahman Al Barghouthi won the 75-kg white belt gold medal, Hamdan Al Balushi won the 83-kg purple belt gold medal, and Zayed Al Kaabi won the 108-kg brown belt gold medal.

The second day featured the "Gi" competitions for men and women in 110 categories of various weights for pros across various different colours of belts. The arena was lucky enough to witness world-class competitions as athletes showcased their skills to win gold medals. The best performing academies and local clubs were Commando Group who came first with 2,750 points, in second place was Al Ain Jiu-Jitsu Club with 1,700 points and in third place with 1,470 points was Team Nogueira Dubai.