Rio De Janeiro Welcomes The Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour
The Abu Dhabi Grand Slam® Rio De Janeiro will be held at the Carioca Arena on 10th, 11th and 12th November
Registration ends on 6th November, visit https://events.uaejjf.org/event/10 to register before the deadline
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, 24th October, 2017: The UAE Jiu-jitsu Federation® (UAEJJF), the official authority for the sport of jiu-jitsu in the United Arab Emirates, announced the third leg of the most prestigious jiu-jitsu world tour, to be held in Rio De Janeiro on November 10-12 at the Carioca Arena.
Last season’s Rio De Janeiro leg of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam® was attended by over 11,000 spectators [over two days] and over 2000 players participated. Due to the very high demand among the players, fans and media – the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation® took the decision to extend the event to three days, with over 2500 players expected to participate.
“Progress is improving the numbers consistently, and that is what we have achieved with the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam. Brazil is the biggest jiu-jitsu market in the world and we are very pleased to be going back to Rio for the third time for the Grand Slam.
“Due to the very high demand from players and fans, we decided to execute the event in three days, as we are expecting about 2500 players this season in Rio, which will make it the highest number of players participating during a single event at the Grand Abu Dhabi Slam World Tour.” Said H.E. Abdulmunam Al Hashemi, Chairman of the UAE Jiu-jitsu Federation, President of Jiu-Jitsu Asian Union & Senior Vice President of Jiu-Jitsu International Federation.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Slam® is open to all nationalities, the medalists will be listed in the jiu-jitsu world rankings and cash prizes of more than $1250,000 will be awarded to the top athletes of each division. The top three academies will also receive cash prizes and top ranked competitors will receive prizes at the end of the season according to the UAEJJF World Ranking.
Medals will be awarded for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in each division. Prize money awarded will range from $500 to $2,500 in several categories, including juvenile, adult and masters, from blue, purple, brown and black categories for both men and women.
The first-place winner in the respective weight categories of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam will receive 200 points. The second-place winner will receive 160 points and the third-place winner will receive 120 points.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Slam® Rio De Janeiro will be aired live on Abu Dhabi Sports in the MENA region, Combate, SporTV in Brazil, FloGrappling worldwide live stream, FOX Sports in Asia, Fight Network, Astro, Starhub, ABS-CBN Sports, Orange TV, SCTV, Singtel, SFR Sports, Super Sport, Azam Sports TV, Fight Sports and Dubai Sports, Sharjah Sports on delayed basis
Player Quotes
“I competed at the Tokyo Grand Slam, I won the 70kg black belt and now my focus is on the Rio event. I have been very committed to reach to the top of the podium in Rio. I am on an intense training regime – every week from Sunday to Thursday I do physical training in the morning, I do positioning drills and fight training in the afternoon and during the night I do my final training at the IPIC Arena in Abu Dhabi. And Fridays are recovery day.
“The level of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam has gone up a notch, it is getting increasingly difficult to compete, as more top athletes are taking part. We players need more points so we can get into the World Pro. So I am really motivated to get the Gold again in Rio, which is the toughest place to compete due to the quality of the players” Said Priscilla Cardoso, 70kg Black Belt champion
“Like every Grand Slam event, I take Rio very serious. I prepare for this one and couple more upcoming tournaments in my hometown in Poznań, Poland in my academy Checkmat Poznań with my students and some high level black belts.
“UAEJJF is doing a really good job to develop jiu-jitsu by bringing in high level tournaments around the world, putting some serious money prizes and opportunities for the athletes. I think it really helps athletes to be more professional, travel more and gain more experience. It’s a really big thing and every year UAEJJF offers more and more opportunities to athletes.
“There are already some big names signed for Grand Slam in Rio so I can’t wait to compete again with some of the best in the sport. For this year’s trip to Rio, will be my last one but right after new year there are Grand Slams in Abu Dhabi and London so I will stay busy competing also in some local International Pro events around the Europe.” Said 94kg Black Belt champion, Adam Wardzinski
Abu Dhabi Grand Slam® Jiu-Jitsu World Tour Rio De Janeiro.
Date: 10, 11 and 12 November
Venue: Carioca Arena
Registration: https://events.uaejjf.org/event/10
Registration Deadline: 6 November
