The UAE’s Mohammed Al Qubaisi added yet another gold to his collection by winning the Masters Brown 77kg title at the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship on Friday.
In a tournament that the 31-year-old has happy memories of – after triumphing in 2009, 2010 and last year – Al Qubaisi repeated the feat with his fourth title at the IPIC Arena. The 31-year-old overcame Frenchman Sebastien Garnier 2-0 before defeating Brazilian Marco Filho 4-2 in the final.
“I am so happy because it was very tough for me, it is a strong category,” he said. “It is my first medal in the brown belt and I am glad. Last year I won in the purple belt. Hopefully, after my Open weight fight, my coach will put me in the black belt division.”
There was good news for Nasser Omar Al Buraiki, who won the White Belt Open Division, although not in the manner he would have liked. The 25-year-old was awarded gold after champion, Kazakhstan’s Olzhas Nurtakanov, was disqualified after officials learned he was actually a blue belt competitor.
The victory saw Al Buraiki add to his medal collection after triumphing in four Grand Slams this season, but he was far from pleased.
“We have come here to compete fairly,” he said. “Why did he cheat? If he’s in the blue belt, he should compete in that division. Why change the belt? He doesn’t deserve to win anything. It’s quite disappointing to win in this manner.”
Meanwhile, there will be a new champion in the +94kg Black Belt division after Marcus Almeida, who was set to return to action after nearly a year following a leg injury, made a late withdrawal.
The search for an elusive gold for the UAE’s top-ranked Faisal Al Ketbi continues as he was beaten in the 94kg division. The 29-year-old overcame Brazilian Isaac Dull before exiting in the next round.
After losing her Absolute crown in the semi-final, Mackenzie Dern is on course to retain her 55kg Black Belt title. The 23-year-old American defeated Brazilian duo Ana Alencar and Ariadne De Ol- iveira to book her place in the final against Marina Ribeiro.
Among the highlights in Saturday’s schedule is the men’s Black Belt Absolute final. Having beaten Ricardo Evangelista in Thursday’s semi-final, Jose Junior has set his sights on winning gold when he takes on Felipe Pena.
“This is the first time I have made it to the Open final and it is the biggest achievement of my career,” said the 30-year-old. “I was always motivated and kept working hard. Never did I let my ambition take a beating and that’s what jiu-jitsu is all about. It is what we teach our youngsters.
“I have never fought Pena before but I do know him. It is going to be a great contest and Inshallah I will try. There will be plenty of crowd support and that should help.”
