ABU DHABI: The latest edition of the AJP Tour Asia Continental Pro is set to take place at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena, Zayed Sports City from Oct. 1 to 2, featuring some of the world’s best grapplers.

Organized by the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation in partnership with Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro, the competition will see hundreds of athletes from various clubs and academies take to the mat over the course of two days for prize money and points in the annual AJP ranking.

Open to all nationalities, the championship features some of world’s top-ranked players in the kids, youth, amateur, professional and master divisions, ahead of the upcoming Jiu-Jitsu World Championship and Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

“The AJP Tour Asia Continental Pro is in line with our vision to stage a range of international competitions that bring the top jiu-jitsu athletes to Abu Dhabi, the global jiu-jitsu capital,” said Mubarak Al-Menhali, technical director of the UAEJJF.

“We are just a few weeks away from the start of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship and the participants are keen to sharpen the technical prowess that qualifies them to compete at the highest levels. The two-day event on the weekend is an ideal platform for them to train and will take them a step closer to achieving their goals.”

Tariq Al-Bahri, general manager at the AJP, said: “The Asia Continental Pro is part of a series of championships AJP organizes across multiple locations in the world. This year we have planned five AJP Tour events in the UAE attracting the top-ranked players. We have experienced an increased demand from the players for the Asia Continental Pro Championship as the winners could win 1,400 ranking points.”

The competitions for the teens (grey, yellow, orange and green belts), youth (white, blue and purple), and men’s master’s (blue, purple, brown and black) categories will take place on the first day of the championship. The amateur (blue) and professional (purple, brown and black) categories for both men and women will compete on the second day.