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The Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro (AJP) Tour will return to Florida for the Orlando International Pro on April 16, 2022 at the Dover Shores Community Center. The United Arab Emirates, one of the leaders in jiu-jitsu and combat sports, is continuing its global expansion with the AJP Orlando event which id the first U.S. event of 2022. This edition will feature both Gi and No-Gi divisions for adult, master, and youth competitors. In 2021, the AJP Tour hosted two U.S. events that both took place in Miami and drawn some of the world's top jiu-jitsu athletes - the Miami Grand Slam and the Miami International Pro.
Since the organization's first official tournaments in 2015, the AJP Tour has expanded its global reach immensely, hosting tournaments in Brazil, the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and many other countries. In 2022, the AJP Tour will host events on six continents, pushing the sport to regions where there are few jiu-jitsu tournaments. This expansion is a product of the organization's overall mission to grow the sport. Not only is the AJP organization investing into global expansion, they're also part of a larger grassroots initiative. In the UAE, leaders have added jiu-jitsu to the physical education curriculum in schools. These achievements have elevated the AJP organization and its athletes to new heights. In addition to the advancements in spreading the sport globally, the AJP Tour has also created a unique ranking system that allows athletes to accumulate points that can earn them cash prizes. Points can be earned at events throughout the year and are based upon the classification as International, National, Continental, or Grand Slam events. Rankings award both the participation and performance of athletes and provide an incentive for them to compete at more AJP events.
While the brackets are expected to fill out leading up to the event, there are already competitors signed up that you won't want to miss. Marcos Tinoco of Marcelo Garcia Jiu-Jitsu will be competing in the black belt Master 1 85 kg division. Marcos is no stranger to AJP events. As a purple belt he placed second at the prestigious Abu Dhabi World Pro. He also placed second at the Los Angeles Grand Slam in 2019. Marcos is well known for his lasso guard, a position he's used in countless competitions and one we'll likely see him utilize in Orlando. In the black belt Master 2 94 kg division, Flavio Almeida will look to add another important title to his collection. In addition to being a world class competitor, Flavio is also a renowned coach for the Gracie Barra organization. He began training at a young age in Brazil following his brother Ricardo's influence. Flavio is known for using an exciting mix of judo and jiu-jitsu in his matches, often using the tried-and-true formula of taking his opponent down, passing his guard, and hunting the submission.
Roiter Lima of Gracie Barra is one of the top ranked adult rooster weight competitors in the world. He'll be testing his skills in the adult black belt 56 kg division on April 16th in Orlando. Many of Roiter's best competitive achievements came under the AJP banner. He won the Abu Dhabi World Pro in 2019 as a purple belt and followed that up with Grand Slam wins in Rio, London, and Los Angeles as a brown belt. As a black belt, Roiter won the AJP Miami Grand Slam in 2021. He'll look to continue his amazing run with the AJP organization with another gold medal in Orlando. Checkmat's Gustavo Carpio began training jiu-jitsu in Peru in the late 90's. He quickly fell in love with the art and started competing at some of the biggest tournaments he could find. As a purple belt he became an American National Champion. At brown belt, Gustavo got third place at both IBJJF Pans and Worlds. These accomplishments led to his black belt promotion. He recently placed second at the Abu Dhabi World Masters in a bracket filled with jiu-jitsu legends, including Osvaldo Moizinho and Leonardo Saggioro. Gustavo will take on the Master 1 black belt 69 kg division on April 16th.
Be sure to catch these competitors and all the action of the 2022 AJP Tour Florida International Pro on April 16, 2022 live, exclusive and free on the FITE.tv website, mobile and OTT apps and streaming devices as well as more than 7,000 models of smart TVs. For more information on the 2022 AJP Tour Florida International Pro as well as news, updates and schedules of upcoming events and series airing on FITE, visit the FITE.tv website.
