ABU Dhabi: Abu Dhabi is set to host the eighth edition of the Jiu-Jitsu Asian Championships at Mubadala Arena in Zayed Sports City from May 1-8, the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation has announced.
The championships, organized by the Jiu-Jitsu Asian Union and hosted by the UAEJJF, will, for the first time, include competitions in the youth (under 16 and 18) categories this year. Competitions for adults will run from May 1-5, followed by the Asian championships for youth from May 5-8.
Attracting elite athletes from various parts of the continent, the Asian championship is considered one of the most prominent events on the Asian jiu-jitsu calendar, and provides an ideal platform for athletes from across the continent to showcase and test their skills.
“We are pleased to host the Jiu-Jitsu Asian Championship for the second time in less than four years,” said Fahad Ali Al-Shamsi, secretary-general of the UAE and Asian jiu-jitsu federations.
“Abu Dhabi has been hosting major global and continental jiu-jitsu championships, and over the past decade, has become a role model for event organization and hosting. It has gained the trust of all continental federations and the Jiu-Jitsu International Federation, as Abu Dhabi is a source of inspiration in promoting and developing jiu-jitsu and creating champions.
“The UAE and Abu Dhabi stand as major hubs for international jiu-jitsu, serving as destinations for discovering talent, honing champions, and attracting the most prominent international stars. This is made possible by the limitless support of the visionary leadership of the UAE, which has been the cornerstone of the great strides the country has made in the realm of sports, especially jiu-jitsu.”
Al-Shamsi said that the positive aspects of hosting the Asian Jiu-Jitsu Championship are not limited to the sports sector, but also have a significant impact on stimulating tourism and attracting fans from Asian countries to stand behind and support their national teams.
Regarding the preparations of the UAE national team, Al-Shamsi said that team members are already undergoing rigorous training, adding that the federation has full faith in the team’s capabilities to perform well and raise the nation’s flag high.
UAE to host 8th edition of Jiu-Jitsu Asian Championships in May
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UAE to host 8th edition of Jiu-Jitsu Asian Championships in May
- Tournament for adults will run from May 1-5, followed by youth competitions from May 5-8
- “We are pleased to host the Jiu-Jitsu Asian Championship for the second time in less than four years,” said secretary-general of the UAE and Asian jiu-jitsu federations
Mid East Falcons and Mumbai Cobras to meet in historic United Series in Dubai
- The league’s top 2 teams collide in a best-of-3 series this weekend at Baseball United Ballpark in Dubai
DUBAI: The Mid East Falcons and Mumbai Cobras face-off on Friday night at Baseball United Ballpark in the United Series, the sport’s first regional championship.
Both teams finished tied atop the Baseball United season one standings with 6-3 records. However, Mumbai will start and close game three, if necessary, as the home team, since they finished first in the standings after winning the head-to-head series.
The Cobras are the first professional baseball team in the history of India. They represent nearly 30 million people in Mumbai and 1.5 billion people in India, the majority of whom are fans of bat-and-ball games, with cricket the nation’s top sport.
Baseball United has reached tens of millions of those fans this year through broadcasts on several of the network’s linear channels as well as the Zee 5 app.
The Mid East Falcons represent the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi, and they have quickly grown both a regional following across the GCC, as well as a global fanbase in Japan.
More than half of the Falcons’ roster is made up of Japanese players, including Nippon Professional League legends Munenori Kawasaki and Hiroyuki Nakajima.
The team also has young prospects from the Yokohama Bay Stars, one of Japan’s top professional baseball teams, adding to its appeal within that baseball-loving nation.
Locally, the Falcons have drawn the largest attendance for each of their games at Baseball United Ballpark, with attendees from more than 50 nationalities coming to support the Mid East team.
“This is the United Series matchup that fans across the world were craving,” said Kash Shaikh, chairman, CEO, and co-founder of Baseball United.
“We have Mumbai vs. Mid East, the two top teams from the regular season who have rosters full of talent, character, and personality. The Falcons are both the UAE’s team and Japan’s team.
“The Cobras represent 1.5 billion people in India. All three nations, as well as fans across the baseball world, will be watching closely as we crown our first-ever United Series Champion this weekend.”
The United Series is a best-of-three championship contest. After Friday’s opening game, games two and three will follow on Saturday and Sunday.
The Falcons are managed by Dennis Cook, a 15-year MLB veteran who won a World Series title with the Florida Marlins in 1997. Cook has been a part of Baseball United since its inaugural showcase games in November 2023.
“Baseball United’s leadership team has done an outstanding job to get us to this point,” Cook said. “We are very excited to play against Mariano (Duncan) and the Mumbai Cobras, and we are very focused on becoming the first Baseball United champions in history.”
Cook has had a unique challenge of managing a roster in which the majority of the players do not communicate in English.
“We are a very diverse team, it’s been great to work with the Japanese kids. I admire them and I like the way we communicate. I don’t speak Japanese, but we have our own way to communicate and it has been a lot of fun.”
The Falcons led the league in both batting (.271 BA) and pitching (2.25 ERA) as a team, and nearly swept the league’s regular season awards, with Kazuki Yabuta (Best Pitcher), Manato Tanai (Best Fielder), Munenori Kawasaki (Clubhouse Award), and Alejandro De Aza (Sportsmanship).
In addition, Nakajima has been atop the league leaders in batting (.400) throughout the year. LHP Shuto Sakurai will be the starting pitcher for game one of the United Series.
Brantley Bell (.441 BA, 1.213 OPS), the star third baseman from the Cobras, won the league’s first-ever Most Valuable Player Award. In addition to Bell, Caleb McNeely (3 HRs, 10 RBIs, .688 SLG), Lou Helmig (2 HR, 10 RBIs) and Miguel Ojeda Jr. (2 HR, 8 RBIs) led the Cobras’ batting attack.
The Mumbai bullpen was also solid all year behind Akeel Morris (0.00 ERA) and LHP Brandon Kaminer (0.00 ERA), who together have accumulated 18.0 scoreless innings with 16 strikeouts.
In addition, there are three Indian-born pitchers who have caused a sensation in their country: Akshay More, Tushar Lalwani and Saurabh Gaikwad.
More is 2-0 with 11.1 innings pitched and a 1.59 ERA. Karan Patel, the franchise’s No. 1 starter, will take the mound to start the United Series on Friday night. Patel has 14 strikeouts in 10.1 innings.
Duncan, a 12-year MLB veteran who won two World Series Championships, manages the Mumbai Cobras. He has also been a part of Baseball United since the Dubai Showcase in 2023.
“It’s been an honor to be part of Baseball United. The first season has been an amazing experience, I’m so proud to be part of this history.
“This team has a great chemistry and passion for the game of baseball, but we also have good batting, good pitching, power and speed, and we are going to close strong to make history this weekend.”
