Abu Dhabi Grand Slam | Abu Dhabi | Official Weigh-In Completed

January 12, 2017

Credit UAEJJF weigh-in — Photo by: UAEJJF

All Top International and UAE National Team players made weight ahead of their fights
No-Gi Competitions take place on Friday 13^th January from 2pm to 6pm
Gi Competitions take place on Saturday 14^th January from 11am to 6pm

Abu Dhabi, 12 January, 2017: The UAE Jiu-jitsu Federation (UAEJJF), the official authority for the sport of Jiu-jitsu in the United Arab Emirates, conducted the official Weigh-In today at the IPIC Arena, ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam | Abu Dhabi, UAE

Jiu-Jitsu world champions; Felipe Pena, Xande Ribeiro, Gabriel Arges, Paulo Miyao, Luiz Panza, Faisal Al Ketbi, Bia Mesquita, Nathiely de Jesus, Talita Alencar, Luiza Monteiro, Ana Carol Vieira, Yahya Al Hammadi and more, made weight ahead of their highly anticipated fights. 1564 jiu-jitsu players from across the world took part at the official Weigh-ins at the IPIC Arena, Zayed Sports City.

Mr. Fahad Ali Al Shamsi, CEO of UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation said “The decision to host the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam in Abu Dhabi came as a result of several requests from the Asian countries to provide a top level platform in the Middle East in order to provide the Asian players an opportunity to compete, especially as most of the other Grand Slam tours are held in Europe, US and South America.”

“The tour in Abu Dhabi will be the perfect opportunity for the adult heroes and youth players to compete with the top professionals, as we used to have about 15 to 25 Emirati players traveling to the other Grand Slam events, but for this event in Abu Dhabi we have over 450 players (male and female) competing.”

“The fourth leg of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam is being held at the same time of a major tournament in Europe, but many of the top Jiu-Jitsu players have chosen to compete at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, this shows the value of our tournament. The quality of competition is of the highest level and it is difficult to match our quality by the other tournaments around the world. Not to mention the cash prizes of $200,000 on offer, and 13 international television networks broadcasting the event globally to over 300 million viewers.”

“Because of the unfortunate situation experienced by the country in the wake of the martyrdom of a number of UAE diplomats in Afghanistan, we had to cancel some aspects of the celebration, including the opening ceremony, so the tone of the event will be lowered, and we will hold the heroes in the highest regard on the podium.”

“The sport of Jiu-Jitsu is evolving every year and getting bigger and bigger, our players are gaining experience in every competition we participate in, which is helping in the evolution of their level. We should not forget that we have great challenges ahead of us in the next phase, some at the continental level under the National Olympic Committee, and some under the international level.”

“The sons and daughters of the UAE are ready for this challenge, and they will not leave without giving their all to win medals for their country. The coaching staff has prepared a special program for them, which has been applied to all the clubs and training centers. We wish to witness the birth of many heroes and heroines from this tournament both youth and adults. I wish everyone the best of luck”

Media Accreditation

Fight media credentials can be picked up on Friday, 13th January and Saturday, 14th January from 10am at the IPIC Arena. Proper personal photo ID (Emirates ID or Drivers license) is required for credential pick-up.

About UAEJJF:

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. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter @uaejjf, follow us on Instagram @uaejjf and visit us online at https://www.uaejjf.com

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