UAE’s Al Ketbi, Al Karbi impress in Jiu-Jitsu
abu dhabi — Leading UAE JiuJitsu champions are set to face off against Brazilian counterparts in the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2018 black belt finals on Saturday April 29, after a day of tough action at Mubadala Arena.
With packed crowds, the best male and female Jiu-Jitsu athletes from around the world competed in the quarters and semifinals for the Adult black belt divisions, while the Adult brown belt and Master 1 brown and black belt finals resulted in Emirati champions Musabbeh Al Khateri and Mohammed Radhi winning gold medals.
Renowned local athlete Faisal Al Ketbi, a black belt in the 85kg category, bested his opponents Clifford Edwards and Bruno Reale to get through to tomorrow’s final against Isaque Braz. Following success against Taj Azzedine, Talib Al Karbi beat Mike Easton in an exciting semifinal to secure his place in the Championship’s final round.
Bringing the 2017–2018 season to a close, the Championship final makes a total of 400 points available for gold medalists, offering competitors one last opportunity to earn a significant boost in the season’s rankings. For black and brown belt rounds, the Championship applies a double elimination bracket for the main draw.
The bracket system groups countries together, meaning that a maximum of two competitors per country will proceed to tomorrow’s rounds.
Meanwhile, Friday’s Adult brown belt division finals resulted in seven gold and four bronze medals being awarded to Brazil, with Australia taking two bronze medals.
The Master 1 brown belt categories saw Brazil top the rankings with two gold medals and one silver, with the UAE coming a close second, taking two gold medals and one bronze.
Emirati competitors Musabbeh Al Khateri and Mohammed Radhi won the 69kg and 85kg categories respectively. In third place was Kazakhstan with two silver medals.
In the black belt Master 1 finals, Brazil come first overall with four gold medals, four silver medals and three bronze, while Australia ranked second with one silver and one bronze medal. With one gold medal each, Sweden and Russia came joint third.