DEFTAC-RIBEIRO JJ showed its might by topping the overall championship in the recent Abu Dhabi Jiujitsu Pro (AJP) Tour Philippines-National Jiujitsu Championships 2023at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.
In winning the overall championship, Deftac collected 48 gold, 40 silver and 8 bronze medals worth 55,250 points. Japanese Carpe Diem Brazilian JJ and USA’s Checkmat finished second and third, respectively.
Carpe Diem Brazilian won 12 gold, 12 silvers and 13 bronze medals for 21850 points while
Checkmat of USA had 12 golds, 8 silvers and 4 bronzes followed by Atos of United States (7-5-2) and another Japan’s team Carpe Diem (6-3-1)
“Their performance is a reflection of their hard work and I’m very, very happy with the performances and results they’ve shown,” DEFTAC-RIBEIRO JJ founder and coach Alvin Aguilar said, who is also the president of Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC).
One of the highlights of the one-day tournament participated by 23 clubs from 16 countries worldwide was the fight between South Korean Shin Yuchan and Filipino Allan Co.
Yuchan of Carpe Diem submitted Co in less than a minute to move to the men’s gi black professional 120 kg finals, but the South Korean could not sustain his momentum as he lost to the eventual gold winner American Antonio Suazo of Six Blades Jiujitsu of US also via submission.
In all, DEFTAC collected 55,250 points after getting 14 golds in boys’ gi, 10 in girls gi, nine in men’s gi, five in youth men’s gi, three in girls’ youth no-gi, three in men’s no-gi, two in boy’s no-gi, and one each in men’s gi open and women’s gi.
That enabled the country to finish No. 1 with188,700 points followed by Japan (3,600) while the United States and Singapore ended up tied for No. 3 and 4 with similar 3,400.
Brothers Alonso “Lukie” Aguilar and Lucho Aguilar highlighted the DEFTAC’S dominance by winning their respective classes in the tournament attended by 350 competitors around the world.
Alonso topped the gold in youth men’s gi blue 55 kg while his younger brother Lucho captured the boys’ gi teen orange green 62 kg gold medal.
Other gold medalist from DEFTAC were Zeke Erhan Holganza (boys gi kids 2 white 23 kg), Kyra Lee (girls gi kids 2 white 37 kg), Mohammad Ibrahim Burahan (men’s gi white amateur 77 kg), Fierre Proudhon Afan (men’s gi blue amateur 85 kg), Lord Gabriel del Rosario (men’s no-gi blue amateur 56 kg and men’s gi open blue amateur heavy -120 kg), Annie Lou Parungao (women’s gi blue amateur 49 kg), Santiago Lausa (boys gi kids 3 white 24 kg), Samoan Nelson Meleisea (men’s no-gi white master 1 120 kg), Julianna Louise Marte (girls gi infant white 25 kg), and Isis Olaso (girls gi junior white grey 40 kg).
Carpe Diem Brazilian JJ’s Filipino Sebastien Blaize Cabanlig won the gold in the boys’ gi teen white 50 kg, while Gabriel Benavides of Cebu jiujitsu pocketed the boys no-gi junior white 41 kg gold and Checkmat International’s Seth Cacagson Tauli earned the gold in the men’s gi white amateur 56 kg.
Other gold winners were Kuwaiti Abdarahman Alsubaiei of Gfteam (men’s gi white amateur 85 kg), Korea’s Kim Soonsung of Carpe Diem (men’s gi blue amateur 62 kg), Australian Drew Franklin of Bangkok Fight Lab (men’s gi blue master 2 120 kg), Singaporean Daryl Ong of Carpe Diem Brazilian JJ (men’s gi purple professional 56 kg), Filipino Marlo Marasigan of Atos (men’s gi brown professional 69 kg), Japan’s Craig Hutchison of Carpe Diem (men’s gi brown professional 77 kg), Singaporean Aacus EE of Carpe Diem Brazilian JJ (men’s gi brown professional 85 kg), Filipino Carlito Go Cedenio of Atos (men’s gi master 1 77 kg), Filipino Jaguar Tang of Carpe Diem Brazilian JJ (men’s gi black master 2 69 kg), Filipino Joanne Bognadon (women’s gi open blue amateur lightweight -62 kg) and Brazilian Robert Oda de Andrade of Carpe Diem (men’s gi open brown-black professional lightweight -77 kg).
