Grand Slam World Tour lands in Abu Dhabi for star-studded weekend of Jiu-Jitsu and you can watch it live

09 Jan, 2017

Felipe Pena, Xande Ribeiro, Gabriel Arges, Paulo Miyao, Luiz Panza, Faisal Al Ketbi, Bia Mesquita, Nathiely de Jesus, Talita Alencar, Luiza Monteiro, and Ana Carol Vieira lead the pack of talented black belts going after their share of over $150,000 in prizes.

The Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour arrives in the United Arab Emirates the weekend of January 13-14 for the fourth leg of the 2016-2107 season. Just like the three previous stops in Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Rio de Janeiro, the event in Abu Dhabi will be a star-studded celebration of the gentle art. The Abu Dhabi Grand Slam will feature no-gi divisions on day 1 (January 13) and gi competition on day 2 (January 14).

Some of the biggest names in the competition circuit have signed up to compete in the world famous IPIC Arena at Zayed Sports City. Athletes will be pouring their hearts out on the mats in search of their share of over $150,000 in prizes.

Here is a list of the most notorious faces that will be competing this weekend.

Photo Credit: Ivan Trindade/Gentle Art Media

Black Belt Male

62kg: Hiago George, Wellington Lima, Tomoyuki Hasimoto, Jean Pereira.
69kg: Paulo Miyao, Isaque Paiva, Tiago Bravo, Erik Sa.
77kg: Edwin Najmi, Marcio Andre, Roberto Satoshi, Adriano Araujo.
85kg: Gabriel Arges, Faisal Al Ketbi, Jaime Canuto, Matheus Spirandelli.
94kg: Felipe Pena, Alexandre Ribeiro, Thiago Pessoa.
110kg: Luiz Panza, Jose Junior, André Campos.

Brown/Black Belt Female

55kg: Talita Alencar, Rikako Yuasa, Maxine Thylin.
62kg: Beatriz Mesquita, Luiza Monteiro, Tamires Vieira.
70kg: Polyana Lago, Jessica Silva, Ana Carolina Vieira.
90kg: Nathiely de Jesus, Vanessa Oliveira, Gessica Ventura.
Photo Credit: Ivan Trindade/Gentle Art Media

The Abu Dhabi leg of the Grand Slam will award larger prizes to medalists than the previous stages. Champions in the adult male black belt division will earn $3,000, while silver medalists will take $2,250, and bronze medalists will take $1,500. In the adult female brown/black belt division, champions will pocket $2,250, with silver medalists taking $1,500 and bronze medalists earning $750.

Jiu-jitsu fans around the world will be able to watch the action live as it happens in Abu Dhabi on various platforms. The UAE channel Abu Dhabi Sports 2 (adsports.ae) will broadcast the Grand Slam. For fans online, Flograppling (flograppling.com) will live stream the two-day event. Subscribe now and watch it all. In Brazil, Canal Combate (sportv.globo.com) will broadcast the matches for its subscribers. Check local listings for the exact times in each region.

London is the next stage

After Abu Dhabi, the Grand Slam World Tour moves to Europe for the final leg of the 2016/2017 season. The vibrant city of London, capital of Great Britain, will host the fifth leg on March 18. The registration period for that event is already open and competitors of all nationalities can sign up. Click here for more info on how to register.

Get ready for the 2017 ADWPJJC

Once again, the jiu-jitsu community will turn its attention for the most important event of the year. The 2017 World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship is scheduled April 17-22, again at the IPIC Arena in Abu Dhabi. Athletes have been competing all throughout the season at the UAEJJF National Pro and International Pro series in search of travel packages and also valuable points to qualify for the big stage. There are still plenty of chances to make the cut. Click here and check the schedule for the coming months.

About the UAEJJF

With the support and guidance of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Payed Al Mahayana, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation was established in November 2012 as the official authority for jiu-jitsu in the UAE.

The Federation plays a leading role in supporting jiu-jitsu and contributing to building a strong generation of UAE athletes to excel at the local and international levels. The Federation’s role is to implement policies that develop the sport in collaboration with various government entities, educational institutions and other partners in order to advance the sport locally, regionally and globally.