DEFTAC-Ribeiro crowned overall champ in AJP Tour jiu-jitsu tilt

MANILA, Philippines – DEFTAC-Ribeiro JJ, Japanese Carpe Diem Brazilian JJ and the United States’ Checkmat reigned supreme in the Abu Dhabi Jiujitsu Pro (AJP) Tour Philippines-National Jiujitsu Championships 2023 recently after the topping the overall competition at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

DEFTAC bagged a total of 48 gold, 40 silver and eight bronze medals for a tournament-high 55,250 points to clinch the overall title, while Carpe Diem Brazilian Jiujitsu raked in 12 golds, 12 silvers and 13 bronzes for second place with 21850 points. 

Checkmat had 12 golds, eight silvers and four bronzes for third overall with 15,350 points, while Atos of US harvested seven golds, five silvers and two bronzes for fourth place with 9,100 points. Another Japan team, Carpe Diem, took home six golds, three silvers and one bronze for fifth place with 6,900 points.

“Their performance is a reflection of their hard work and I’m very, very happy with it,” said DEFTAC-RIBEIRO JJ founder and coach Alvin Aguilar, also the president of Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC).

The one-day tournament, which drew the participation of 23 clubs from 16 countries worldwide including the United States, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Brazil, among others, also featured a 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 the momentum, losing to eventual gold winner Antonio Suazo of Six Blades Jiujitsu of the US, also via submission.

Aside from the medals they have collected, DEFTAC registered 55,250 points to lead the competition 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. 

Brothers Alonso “Lukie” Aguilar and Lucho Aguilar, sons of the first ever Filipino homegrown Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belter Alvin, spiced up 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). 

The Philippines ranked first overall in the 16-nation contest with 188,700 points, followed by Japan at second with 3,600 and the United States and Singapore tied at No. 3 with identical 3,400 points.