Los Angeles will again kick off the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam by hosting the first leg of the event on September 3 and 4.
The grand slam will be held in five international host cities around the world: Los Angeles, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, Abu Dhabi and London and over US$100,000 (Dh367,315) in cash prizes will be awarded at the US leg.
“Los Angeles is a city that holds the sport of jiu-jitsu in very high regards and has some of the best players train and live over there,” said H.E Abdulmunam Al Hashemi, chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation. “This is a highly competitive sport and we attract the best of the best jiu-jitsu players from across the globe.”
Some names confirmed for the event are Erberth Santos, Ricardo Evangelista, Tiago Bravo, Andre Campos, Paulo Miyao, Faisal Alketbi, Igor Silva, Marcio Andre and world champion Mackenzie Dern.
“I am so excited and cannot wait for the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam to kick off in Los Angeles,” Dern said. “I competed at the Abu Dhabi World Pro Championship in Abu Dhabi in April and it was one of my best experiences as an athlete. They treated us the best way possible and everything was absolutely top notch. To all my fans, I will see you on 3rd & 4th September in LA.”
Awards and prizes will be presented to winners in several men’s and women’s divisions, including juvenile, adult and masters, in blue, purple, brown and black categories. The first-place winner in each weight category will receive 200 points. Second place will receive 160 points and third 120.
The event is open to all nationalities. More information and registration is available at www.uaejjf.com.
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