Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Championship Targeted For November
The sports world is looking for a way to produce events in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. With enough time and patience, one entity will be looking to come back before the end of the year.
Originally set for April 11-18, the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship appears to be set for sometime in November. According to The National, the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation is hoping to become the first national event to get back into the thick of things. UAEJJF chairman Abdulmunam Al Hashemi is being cautious but optimistic when planning the event.
“We didn’t take that decision easily,” Al Hashemi said. “This is an unprecedented global crisis and we offer the jiu-jitsu community words of hope and optimism. We all know how hard our community has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.”
“We are pleased to announce that our team is already working with a new timeline for the 2020 World Pro and all other jiu-jitsu activities to resume,” he added. November is the most tentative target to stage the World Pro. We are already working with the local authorities also to make it possible to schedule local, regional, national and international events as soon as possible.”
The Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Abu Dhabi has been around since 2009. More than 5,000 fighters from more than 100 countries compete for a grand prize. Winners have included the likes of Rafael Mendes, Felipe Pena, Leandro Lo, Lucas Lepri and the UFC’s Gilbert Burns. The fund is over $2.5 million.
The Jiu-Jitsu Championship would end up being ahead of the Sumo World Championships and the 2020 Olympics, both set to take place in 2021.