Over 10,000 Athletes for the 18th Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship**
ABU DHABI — The UAE Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts Federation announced on November 5 the official completion of all operational, logistical, and technical preparations for the upcoming 18th Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship. The milestone announcement was made during a high-profile press conference hosted at the prestigious Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, setting the stage for what promises to be one of the most remarkable editions in the tournament’s illustrious history.
Scheduled to take place from November 9 to 21, the championship will transform the Mubadala Arena at Zayed Sports City into the global epicenter of combat sports. More than 10,000 athletes hailing from 130 countries are set to converge on the UAE capital to compete across a comprehensive array of age groups and division levels. With a massive total prize pool exceeding AED 3 million on the line, the competition is expected to draw elite practitioners, rising stars, and dedicated martial artists from every corner of the globe. Demonstrating the tournament’s formidable international reach, more than 5,000 of these competing athletes will travel from outside the UAE specifically to participate in the fortnight-long sporting extravaganza.
The comprehensive press conference drew a wide array of prominent figures, sports administrators, and strategic partners. Among the key dignitaries in attendance was H.E. Abdulmunem Alsayed Mohamed Alhashmi, Chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts Federation, President of the Ju-Jitsu Asian Union, and Senior Vice President of the Ju-Jitsu International Federation. He was joined by H.E. Mohamed Salem Al Dhaheri, Vice Chairman of the Federation and Chairman of the Championship Organising Committee; H.E. Mohammed Bin Dalmouj Al Dhaheri, Board Member of the Federation; Mohammed Hussain Al Marzooqi, Board Member of the Federation and Vice Chairman of the Organising Committee; and Fahad Ali Al Shamsi, Secretary-General of the Federation.
The gathering also featured key representatives from the event’s extensive network of strategic partners and institutional supporters, including Nasser Khamis Al Marri, Director of the Olympic Sports Department at Abu Dhabi Sports Council; Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Engineer Khalid Ahmed Al Zafin Al Muhairi, Head of the Traffic Engineering and Road Safety Department at Abu Dhabi Police; Yaqoub Al Saadi, Head of Abu Dhabi Sports Channels; Fouad Darwish, CEO and Managing Director of Palms Sports; Saed Hijazi Salameh, General Manager of Sales at Premier Motors; Fahad Al Shaer, Head of Islamic Banking at First Abu Dhabi Bank; and Dr. Hamda Al Neyadi, Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications at PureHealth.
During the press briefing, Federation officials detailed the exhaustive planning undertaken to harmonize operations across multiple sectors. Close coordination with strategic partners has been established to seamlessly manage critical logistics, advanced security protocols, comprehensive healthcare services, and extensive media broadcasting. This multi-agency collaboration ensures that the host city is fully prepared to deliver a world-class environment for thousands of international athletes, coaching staffs, delegations, and spectators.
Addressing the media, H.E. Mohamed Salem Al Dhaheri emphasized that the enduring global success of the tournament is a direct reflection of the UAE’s visionary, long-term investment in sports and athletic development, made possible by the continuous and unwavering support of the nation’s leadership. Over the course of the past 18 years, the championship has successfully cemented its status as one of the premier fixtures on the international jiu-jitsu calendar, consistently gathering the finest clubs, academies, and practitioners from around the world.
Al Dhaheri noted that the journey of the championship has been marked by continuous achievement, bringing with it a profound institutional responsibility to drive ongoing improvements. The overarching objective remains focused on elevating competitive standards while curating an exceptional, memorable experience for every participant. Each successive year, organizers build closely upon valuable lessons learned from past editions to effectively meet and exceed the evolving expectations of the global jiu-jitsu community, thereby further reinforcing Abu Dhabi’s standing as the undisputed global capital of the sport.
Highlighting the demographics of the upcoming tournament, Al Dhaheri revealed that 54% of this year’s registered participants originate from outside the UAE, while 46% represent local clubs and academies. These balanced figures vividly illustrate the tournament’s robust international appeal and its unique capacity to unite domestic and global talents on a single stage. Furthermore, Al Dhaheri underscored the pivotal role the championship plays in cultivating the talents of Emirati athletes. By providing a platform to test their skills against world-class competition, the event equips local competitors with invaluable experience and fosters deeper professional connections within the broader international jiu-jitsu fraternity.
Complementing the administrative updates, the press conference featured an engaging panel discussion that brought together former champions and senior technical experts. The panel included veteran UAE jiu-jitsu champion Faisal Al Ketbi; Sergio Omezzolo, the championship’s Technical Manager; Brazilian elite athlete Jefferson Goteu; and prominent UAE national team athlete Asma Al Hosani. The speakers shared reflections on the tournament’s remarkable trajectory of growth, personal competitive experiences, and high expectations for the upcoming fortnight of bouts.
Faisal Al Ketbi shared a personal retrospective on his long association with the tournament, noting that he first stepped onto the mats as a competitor in 2009 holding a blue belt, before eventually advancing through the ranks to compete at the black belt level. He expressed immense pride in having broken barriers as the first Emirati to secure a brown belt gold medal at the event. Al Ketbi credited the visionary leadership of the UAE for fostering an environment where jiu-jitsu has flourished, leading to a proliferation of active clubs, academies, and practitioners across the nation. He emphasized his personal commitment to mentoring and sharing his accumulated expertise with the next generation of athletes representing the UAE national team.
Technical Manager Sergio Omezzolo offered an operational perspective on the event’s expansion, noting that the championship scales upward in both organizational complexity and competitive caliber with each passing year. Commenting on the anticipated influx of over 5,000 international athletes, Omezzolo attributed the surge to the worldwide multiplication of specialized academies and the diversification of tactical styles within modern jiu-jitsu. He assured attendees that tournament rule sets and administrative systems are continuously refined to match this global momentum, expressing absolute confidence that the organizing teams are fully prepared to execute another flawless edition.
Representing the international contingent of elite competitors, Brazilian athlete Jefferson Goteu spoke warmly about his deep connection to Abu Dhabi. Having participated from his early days as a blue belt all the way through to his current status as a black belt competitor, Goteu described the UAE capital as a uniquely significant destination for Brazilian practitioners. He praised the exceptionally high standard of the bouts and commended the remarkable technical progress exhibited by Emirati athletes over the years.
Adding a powerful voice for the nation’s female athletes, UAE national team standout Asma Al Hosani outlined her ambitions for the upcoming tournament, stating that her primary target is securing the gold medal. Reflecting on her historic performance in 2024, where she became the first Emirati woman to break through to the final of the professional brown and black belt division, Al Hosani expressed her determination to build upon that milestone.
She also acknowledged the profound impact of the continuous support provided by H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the Mother of the Nation, which has been instrumental in the empowerment of women in sports. Al Hosani highlighted a recent honor shared by national team teammates Maryam Al Ali, Al Anoud Al Harbi, and herself, having all been shortlisted for the Best Emirati Female Athlete category at the prestigious Fatima bint Mubarak Women Sports Award. She noted that this recognition stands as a clear testament to the exponential growth of women’s jiu-jitsu in the UAE and highlights the remarkable heights achievable by Emirati women on both national and international stages.
